Finding Rose
by rochelledulac
Summary: Not content with a menial office job, Rosalie Hale decides to take her savings and go on a road trip. After a series of setbacks and emotional pain, will she be able to face her true self?
1. Sigh

**Author's Note: A huge thank you to IChimpz and ChrystalineRose, who were kind enough to beta this chapter and put up with my one-handed typing!**

**I do not own any of the characters or Twilight, you know the drill.  
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Rosalie heaved a sigh. An MBA from the University of Illinois, 6 years of experience, all of those years with the same company, and absolutely nothing to show for it. She had been passed over yet again for a promotion, this time it was the disgustingly unqualified Jessica who took the position as project manager. _Watch THAT crash and burn, _Rose thought to herself. Everyone in the building knew what a twit Jessica was, but the CEO Royce King had a thing for vulnerable and pretty. He liked girls who slept their way to the top, and Jessica was certainly one of those girls. When Rose first began working for King Industries, she fell victim to Royce's charm and silver tongue. Rose was beautiful, tall, and voluptuous, with gorgeous flowing blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. She was perfect arm candy for the up-and-coming CEO of a booming software development company; they went well together publicly. Privately, Royce was an abusive drunk, taking every opportunity to bully and throw her around and she quickly left him. Unfortunately when she ditched him, he made sure her career went nowhere, blocking her from promotions and high profile clients, keeping her isolated in her little cubicle doing the same grunt work day after meaningless day. _Bastard. _He propositioned her often while dangling a tempting offer in front of her but she refused. No matter how many times she turned him down though, he just kept coming.

The day dragged on through the same boring paces as always. File this, run this report, answer the phone, repeat. It was time to check Facebook. There was a message from Alice, her best friend. They met in 10th grade, made it through college together, and were now neighbors in the same little apartment complex off Hyde Park Boulevard. They had been through a lot together. While Rosalie stagnated in the ranks of her mundane cubicle hell, Alice used her degree in Art History to work part-time at the Museum of Contemporary Art. That left Alice plenty of time to pursue her true passion, painting her own pieces.

_Maybe Alice has good news for me_, thought Rose.

_R~_

_Head to my place after work! We're going out tonight and I have a surprise for you!_

_~A~_

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. She had no inkling as to what Alice was up to but she was never one to disappoint. Rose checked the clock. 4:48. She could probably sneak out now as long as no one saw her. She was about to sneak a quick look around when Jessica popped her head into Rose's face.

"HI!," Jessica squealed, "Did you hear I got the project manager spot? I'm SO stoked!"

"I heard," Rose said drily.

"Isn't it exciting? It's like I'll be your _boss _now! Except not really because the project is only going to take three months. Then I'll go back to being a regular ole working drone, just like you!"

Rose stared at her blankly. Suddenly three months seemed like an eternity. She wasn't paying attention, but Jessica was still blithering on about her new position.

"Yeah, Jess, that just rocks, but I've got to get going," Rose interrupted.

"Oh. Ok. Well, I'll see you tomorrow!" Jessica flounced off towards Royce's office.

Rose checked her phone. 4:59. Perfect. She grabbed her purse, shut down her computer, and grabbed the elevator. Thankfully, she rode down alone. She doubted she could handle anyone talking about Jessica's "big break".

When Rose arrived at her building, she gave it a good hard look. A boring brick building, a few shrubs, nothing special. Now that the snow had finally melted, the flowers were starting to poke up through the mulch on either side of the walkway. _By the end of the month, _she thought, _this place might actually be nice again. Unless it snows again, __of course. _She didn't want to think about more snow in May though, so she made her way inside. People were scattered throughout the common area. Some of the men stopped their conversations to stare as she walked by and Rose prayed no one decided to approach her today. She was not in the mood. She was not that lucky. As she was about to hit the elevator button, someone hit it for her.

Rosalie sighed. "Hello, Ben."

"Hi, _Rosalie_," Ben said in a sing-song voice.

"Ben, I swear to God, I will punch you in the face if you don't back off. I don't want to deal with you today."

"Geez, Rose, YOU'RE in a pissy mood! Need some Midol?" Ben backed up but was still too close for comfort.

"Just a long day. I want to go upstairs without being hassled or hit on, is that too much to ask?" Rose asked.

"Ok, fine, that's all you had to say. But when you _do_ want to go out-" Ben began.

"NO."

"Ok, Ok!" Ben left just as the elevator arrived.

_Please, no more today_, Rose pleaded silently. She rode the elevator to her floor. The doors pinged, opened, and someone came flying at her.

"The fuck?"

"You're home!" The flightless-pixie attacker wrapped her arms around Rose.

_Damn, it__'s just__ Alice_. "Alice, what the hell is wrong with you? I almost had a heart attack! And what if I was someone else? You would have hugged a perfect stranger. Or worse, Ben!"

Alice scoffed. "I knew it was you. Besides, who else would you have been?"

"Good point. Now what is this awesome surprise you have to show me?" Rose was eager to forget about work and focus on bigger and better things.

"OH! Yeah that. By the way, I'm sorry you didn't get that project manager thingy."

"How do you know I didn't get it?" Rose was baffled.

"I just do. Now come on!" Alice flitted down the hall and Rose followed with slightly less enthusiasm and a lot less pep. _Then again,_ Rose mused, _you'd have to be on some pretty good drugs to be as __peppy as Alice. _They made it to Alice's door and Alice threw it open.

"Surprise!" She said excitedly.

"Oh my God! What the hell are you doing here?"

Standing in Alice's kitchen was Jasper, Rose's brother and Alice's long-time boyfriend. He was supposed to be in Gainesville finishing med school and he hadn't visited since Christmas. Alice had flown to see him quite a few times but Rose never wanted to interrupt their short time together.

Rose charged him and they embraced tightly. "It's been so long!" She exclaimed. "But why are you here _now_? Don't you have finals?"

"Wow, Rose," Jasper laughed, "You must be completely out of it! We had finals last WEEK! What's up with you?"

"It's been a long week. And it's only Thursday."

"Which means we need to get out there and party!" Alice was eager and ready to go. "I already have your outfit and shoes in my room, now go change so we can leave. I want to beat the crowd!"

Rose rolled her eyes but drudged off to the bedroom. Hanging on the back of the door was a gorgeous bright blue wrap dress. Rose shimmied into it. The dress came down mid-thigh, hugged every curve, and the bright blue made her porcelain skin look impeccable. She slipped on the silver sandals Alice put out for her and put her hair into a quick updo. _Very close to perfect,_ she thought as she examined herself critically in the mirror. She straightened her shoulders and opened the door, ready to face the club scene yet again.

They left the apartment, fighting their way through the college kids in the common room. It was one of the hazards of living so close to the campus, Rose supposed. They grabbed a quick dinner at a little diner down the street then caught a cab. Alice slipped the driver an address, determined to keep their destination a secret from the others. Even still, when the trio pulled up in front of _Ontour__age_, Rose was shocked.

"Al, how long have you been planning this? No one gets in here without a reservation!"

"Rose. You know me. I know a guy who knows a guy." Alice grinned at her then said, "Out, out, out! I'll pay the cabbie."

Rose and Jasper hurried out of the cab. Alice soon followed, taking a moment to smooth her dress and fluff her hair. "Onward!" She bounced to the front door, dragging Rosalie and Jasper with her. They got past the doorman and entered the club.

It was packed. Rose made her way to the bar and was immediately approached. She dismissed him with one cold look and found the bartender. She ordered a Long Island Ice Tea, found a table in the far corner of the club, then turned to watch the crowd. Alice and Jasper were easy enough to find, Alice loved being in the spotlight and tonight was no different. Rose smiled to herself as Alice danced fluidly and Jasper tried to keep up with her.

"Can I buy you another?"

Rose was jolted out of her thought cloud. She looked to her right to see a scruffy brown haired man staring her down with piercing green eyes. He was otherwise nondescript, but his confidence made up for what he lacked in striking good looks. He leaned in uncomfortably close so Rose edged away when she turned to answer him.

"No. I'm fine with this one, thanks." She replied coldly.

"Come now," he leaned closer and smiled, but his smile somehow was unsettling. "I don't bite. My name is James."

"That's lovely." Rose was not impressed with this overconfident dirt-bag.

He grabbed her arm. "It's _polite _to introduce yourself when someone gives you their name."

"James, you seem like a _great guy,_" Rose's voice dripped with sarcasm, "but if you don't get your hand off me, I will end you."

His grip tightened on her. "Really? And what's a pretty little thing like you going to do to me?"

In one swift movement, Rose swiveled her arm out of his grip, grabbed his wrist, and wrenched it around his back. She slammed his face on the table causing him to shout and draw attention from a small group of people standing near them.

"You don't get to touch me. EVER." Rose emphasized 'ever' by grinding his nose a little harder into the table and spilled drinks. As she let go, she gave him a little push towards the wall. He whipped around and glared at her.

"You think you're really something, don't you." He glared at her as he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

Alice appeared out of nowhere and touched her arm.

"What the hell was that all about? Are you ok?" Alice's eyes were wide with concern. The crowd was still circled, watching Rose.

"Some creep grabbed me. It was nothing."

"Oh. So do you want to leave? I think Jaz and I are all funned out too."

"Yeah, let's just go." Rose reached to grab her purse from her chair and realized it was gone. "What the fuck?" She hunted around on the ground for it, looked in surrounding chairs, but couldn't find it. "Some asshole stole my fucking purse!" Rose was livid. She truly didn't know how her day could get any worse.

"Do you still have your keys?" Alice asked, hopefully.

"Yes, they're in my pocket. Still, that sucks! I loved that purse! What a dick."

The girls found Jasper and grabbed a cab home. The ride was unusually quiet; No one really felt up to talking about the events of the evening. Jasper paid the cabbie when they pulled up in front of the building. Rose got out first and stretched. _I'm getting too old for this_. Even though it was only 10:30, it felt much later. She waited for Alice and Jasper and once again the three went inside. As they made their way to the elevator, Ben flagged Rose down, running to catch up to her.

"Oh God, Ben," she said, exasperated. "What now?" She motioned for Alice and Jasper to head up without her.

"Some dude left this for you. He said you dropped it at the club and that he'd see you later." Ben handed her the purse she lost in the club. Rose slowly took it from him but didn't know what to think. _Who the hell steals a purse, __then returns it? And this is __a NICE purse at that; he easily could have pawned or sold it to make a good amount of cash. Must be one of those Good Samaritans the news keeps talking about._

"Thanks, Ben." She started to walk away, but decided to ask one more thing. "Hey, what did he look like?"

"Uh," Ben struggled to remember, "He was definitely a guy. Taller than you but shorter than Shaq. That's all I remember. If I knew you had a boyfriend, I wouldn't have asked you out all the time you know."

"I don't have a boyfriend." Rose was somewhere between angry and scared. She left Ben standing in the common room and ran to the elevator. As she ascended, she checked to see if anything was missing. Her make up, brush, coins and other junk were all seemingly untouched. She pulled out her wallet. All the cash was still there, including her lucky two dollar bill that she'd had since seventh grade. Her credit cards were there but her driver's license had a little piece of paper over it. The elevator stopped before she could pull it out, so she stuffed everything back in her purse and walked anxiously down the hall to Alice's door. She let herself in, locking the door behind her. Alice and Jasper were in the living room so Rose joined them.

"What did Ben want? A date?" Jasper poked at her as she sat next to him on Alice's overstuffed sofa.

"No," Rose said, brow furrowed. "He gave me my purse. Said someone gave it to him to give to me and that he'd 'See me later'"

"THAT'S weird. Did he take anything?" Alice was sending worried glances to Jasper.

"No, he didn't. Frigging bizarre. It's not a big deal though. Just some nice person returning a purse to its rightful owner without taking any cash or credit cards first." Rose tried to look confident in spite of her doubts.

"Yeah. Ok... Jasper," Alice ordered, "Take Rosalie to her place and check for creepy, skeevy people, just in case."

"What if there are people there who aren't creepy or skeevy? Can they stay?" He was smiling in spite of his deadpan tone.

"Seriously, Jasper, you'll sleep on the couch tonight if you don't straighten up!"

They all laughed, lightening the mood. Jasper stood and held his hand out for Rose to take. She let him pull her to her feet. Alice gave her a quick hug and said, "Just think, tomorrow is Friday. Maybe we can hit the movies or something. There's a new vampire movie out, you know."

"Alice, you know I hate vampires! All that blood and death. Ick!"

"You're such a wuss! We'll see what happens. Good night, sweetie."

"Good night." Rose and Jasper left the apartment. Rose was feeling a little better, and she had almost forgotten the note in her wallet waiting for her. _Almost._ Jasper reached the door first and took the keys. He unlocked it and walked in, Rose close behind him. He searched the apartment and returned to the kitchen.

"No people, creepy or otherwise!" He announced smiling wide. He gave her a big hug. "Just be careful, lock the door behind me. Don't need someone carrying you off now!"

"Ok, _DAD,_" she said, mockingly but lovingly. She followed him to the door. He walked to Alice's, Rose shut the door and felt both locks slide smoothly into place. She decided to put the little chain on too, just in case two dead bolts weren't enough. Making her way through the hall, she grabbed her purse off the counter and sat at her tiny kitchen table to read the note. She pulled it out and began reading it.

_**Rosalie,**_

_**Found this for you, hope you don't mind...**_

_Shit. The last thing I need is a fucking stalker! _Rose was slightly unsettled by the note, and rightly so. Chicago's a huge city with tons of crazies. She lived close to a large university, well within range of plenty of nut-job frat boys. There were so many people at that club, anyone could have taken her purse while she had her altercation with that James guy. She tossed her purse on the couch and started getting ready for bed. She stripped off the dress and put it on an empty hanger. She noticed a small stain and made a mental note to take it to the dry cleaners sometime the next week so Alice wouldn't have to. She debated taking a shower and decided she couldn't skip it. She gathered her clothes and towel and started the water for the shower.

The water felt wonderful as she washed away the remnants of the night's run in with James and the stress of the day. As she bathed, she began thinking about the day ahead. A meeting with Jessica to go over the new project. Meetings with two new clients to do a demo of the security software. Reports need to be filed. _Jessica wi__ll probably want to have a celebratory lunch._ _I wish I could just fucking LEAVE. Go on a road trip, forget about work, answer to no one. That would be great._ She paused. _Wait. Why CAN'T I __just leave? _She thought on it further. She had enough savings, so money wouldn't be an issue. But her job. Could she really walk away from years of work, just like that? She knew she couldn't get another job in Chicago, Royce-Fucking-King had seen to that, but there are other big cities. Milwaukee. Minneapolis. Des Moines. When she was ready to settle back down she could always look for work in a place out of the reach of King Industries. The IT field was big enough that she wasn't pigeonholed in a specific skill set, so she could really do anything if she fudged enough.

_This crazy shit just might work!_

Rose suddenly realized the water had grown cold so she quickly finished rinsing off and hopped out of the shower. She dried off, slipped into boxers and a tank top, then jumped into bed. She laid there awhile, making a mental checklist of things that she would have to do before she left. Pay rent, get a car, put mail on hold, leave her job... She needed a creative way to tell Royce she was quitting. _Maybe a bloody horse head? No, probably couldn't get that past security. _She smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a good day.

He waited patiently on the street, opposite the main entrance of Mayfair. Once he was certain that Rosalie was inside and not coming out for any reason, he went inside the building. He rode the elevator up to her floor, located her door, and hung a single red rose from the handle. He walked quickly back to the elevator and back outside before he was noticed. He rode off into the night, weaving through Chicago's endless traffic with only one thing on his mind. _This will be fun..._


	2. Little Victories

**Author's Note: A big thank you to sbsp92 and Twimarti for beta'ing this chapter for me! :-D **

**None of the characters belong to me, yada yada yada...**

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_FIGHT. The unseen attacker charged again. Rosalie threw ineffective punches at her invisible foe and was thrown to the ground. Her arms went numb and it felt as though this _THING _was mounted on her chest, breathing on her face, down her neck, across her chest. FIGHT. She tried to buck It off of her but it persisted, compressing the breath out of her. She kicked, thrashed, and tried to scream but had no voice. The Thing began tearing off her clothes. Rose was powerless. She struggled to breathe, every movement of her lungs causing more and more pressure. The Thing clamped down on her throat and crushed it. Rose choked and sputtered, drowning in her own blood. Suddenly a deafening buzz echoed through the room and The Thing evaporated..._

Rose slowly awoke and gained her bearings. Bleary eyed, she smacked at the alarm. It quieted and she rolled onto her back. She ran through the dream over and over again, trying to find the meaning in it. She realized her arms were numb and thought, _Explains THAT part anyway. _She stayed in her bed a bit longer then decided that she didn't really want to be late for work on her last day. She rolled out of bed and got to her feet. She opened her overstuffed closet, searching for an outfit that said 'Fuck you, I'm leaving'. Rifling through the clothes, she settled on a low-cut white blouse paired with a bright red pencil skirt. Her black stilettos pushed her to six feet tall. As she made breakfast she wondered if she should just pack her things that day or give a one week notice. _No, _she thought, _if I'm doing this I'm doing it now and I'm not going to give anyone the chance to talk me out of it. _She finished her cereal and rinsed her dishes. Finding her purse, she was reminded of the note inside her wallet. She decided to keep it with her and transferred everything into her work bag. Satisfied that things were in order she grabbed her phone and keys, running a little ahead of schedule.

She walked out her door and turned to close it. Turning to lock it, she gasped when she saw what was hanging on the knob. The rose was wilting, and Rose took that as a sign that it had been hanging there for awhile. She noticed the note attached to it a grabbed it to see what it said.

_Good morning, Sunshine. I hope you have a great day..._

_What the hell? This is getting a little a little creepy. _She took the rose off the door and locked up, double checking to make sure it was secure.

Rose got to work a little later than expected due to the surprise on her door. She hoped no one noticed but Jessica was right there to harp on her.

"You're late! We have a meeting in, like, ten minutes."

"Yeah. I'm not going to the meeting. I need to talk to Royce." Rose was dreading this part of the day; dealing with Jessica was always a chore. At least she'd only be cleaning out her desk after her chat with Royce.

"No way. You have to come, it's mandatory! You're a part of this team you know, you can't just quit!"

"Okay, Jess," Rose lied, "I'll be there."

"Great! See you in a bit!"

Rose rolled her eyes as Jessica flounced off, her perky little head bobbing along. _Good Lord,__ I'm so glad I'm leaving. I'd have to kill someone if I stayed here any longer. _She took a deep breath and started towards Royce's office. She dropped her purse at her cubicle. She paused at Royce's door, gathered herself, and walked in. Royce was sitting at his desk looking over papers and checking his email. He looked up and smirked at her.

"Why, Rose, what a pleasant surprise," Royce said smugly, "Come on in and shut the door behind you."

Rose closed the door.

"I quit."

"What the fuck? Rose, you can't just quit. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it."

"Yes, I can. I'm sick of your shit and I'm not dealing with it anymore. You've shut me out for the last time."

"Oh my dear Rose." Royce stood and started towards her. "You can't get another job in this city and you know it." He reached for her and pulled her close.

"Get off me." She jerked out of his hands and stepped back. Royce grabbed her again, harder this time, and forced her against him.

"Is this about my little fling with Jessica?" he questioned. "Are you... jealous? I know you must be, you've always wanted me haven't you." He tried to kiss her but she dodged and pushed him away. He followed her and shoved her against the wall. He pressed his lips into hers and she tried to turn her head but couldn't. He cupped her face and spoke in a whisper. "Come on Rose. One last time before you go. Though, once you remember how good it is I'm sure you'll stay."

"Fuck. Off." She struggled and kneed him in his crotch as hard as she could. Royce doubled over and fell back. Rose made her way to the exit, but turned her head and told him one last thing. "If I find out you touch one more woman against her will, I'll hunt you down and cut your dick off. I promise. Grow up, Pig."

"You'll regret this, Rose," he shouted from his place on the floor. "I _will _find you."

Royce's idle threats didn't intimidate her. She left feeling exhilarated; she was finally free. Stopping by the storage room, she picked up an empty box so she could clear her belongings from her desk. When she got there, black rose petals littered the entire floor. Rose looked around for a note but didn't find one. None of the neighboring workers were there so she doubted anyone saw anything. _Damn Jessica and that stupid meeting. _She kicked at the petals and sighed. _I'm not cleaning this up. _She tossed the box to the floor and started emptying her drawers. It took her longer than expected and by the time she was done, Jessica's "meeting" was over. Jessica made a beeline for Rose's area and stared blankly while Rose finished packing.

"Is this why you weren't with us?" Jessica looked hurt.

"Yes. I'm leaving."

"Is it because I hooked up with your ex? Because it's nothing serious."

"Good grief. Why does everyone think I care about that? It was years ago and _I_ broke up with _him_."

"Then why ARE you leaving?"

"Jessica, I don't work here anymore. You're not my boss and I can smack you now. Let me pack my things and get the hell out of here."

"Fine, have a good life then, see you when you come crawling back."

"Whatever." Rose picked up her box walked to the elevators.

"Hey," Jessica called after her, "What about all these rose petals?"

"I'm sure you can handle that, can't you? Or is it to complicated for you?" Rose smiled her most fake smile and left. _Yes, _she thought happily, _This __is IT! _She walked through the lobby, hailed a cab once she got outside, and got in with her box. Watching out the window as her old building disappeared, she couldn't help but smile a little.

Rose walked through the common room on her way to the elevators. She headed up to her apartment, hoping for no more stalker surprises. She unlocked her door and tentatively entered. She put her box on her kitchen table and wandered around looking for things that were out of place. Things looked good so she was pleased. _At least the locks keep the weirdos out. _She flopped down on the couch and started thinking about what she needed for her trip. _Most importantly, _she thought, _I need a car. _There was no need for a car in her area of Chicago so she sold hers after she got her job. _Alice probably knows someone. She knows everyone in this town. _She hopped up and went to Alice's with high hopes. She hummed to herself as she knocked on Alice's door. She waited, then knocked again. Alice cracked the door.

"Hey," Rose said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure! Just give us a minute." Alice scurried off, returning to the door after slipping on her robe. She unlatched the chain and Rose walked inside.

"So what's up chicken butt?" Alice asked.

"I need a car. I'm sure you know a guy."

"Why do you need a car? Going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Rose began, "I want to go on a road trip. I quit my job today; I'm done playing the victim."

"Wow, Rose, it's about time! Let me see who I have." Alice hunted around the desk in her living room. "A-ha! Here we go. His name's Jacob, he works over at the body shop on 12th as a mechanic. Tell him I sent you and he should hook you up. And stop by when you get done too so we can chat." Alice handed Rose the card, looked anxiously toward the bedroom, then back to Rose. The hint was taken.

"Ok, I'll let you get back to... whatever it was that you were doing. I don't want to know."

"Thanks, Love!"

Rose left and tried to shake the mental picture out of her head. _At least they're having fun. _She went back to her apartment to change and grab her purse. She looked over the address as she walked in and shut the door behind her. She threw on jeans and a tee-shirt, putting her hair up in a quick pony tail. Content with her reflection, she went downstairs to hop in a waiting cab. She started thinking about the type of car she wanted. Something sporty, fast, something blue maybe... make and model were mere details when it came down to it. As the cab stopped in front of the body shop, she dug through her wallet to pay the fare. She pulled out some cash, then noticed another note stuffed in the bills. Confused, she took it out and handed the cabbie the money as she exited. She unfolded the tiny piece of paper and read it.

_I want you, Rosalie Hale._

Rose shoved the note back into her purse and rolled her eyes. She wondered where she should draw the line; these notes are going from weird to unsettling and fast. She didn't have the chance to dwell on it long. When the cab drove off, Rose found herself face to face with a formidable gate in front of a hole in the wall car lot. _You've got to be kidding me, _she thought incredulously. _Why on EARTH would Alice send me here?_

Suddenly she was greeted by a massive chocolate brown pit bull barking his head off. The dog was wagging his tail in spite of his blaring, so she was pretty sure she could enter without trouble. She shimmied the gate open and entered the yard in front of the shop. She bent down to pet the pup, who was now wagging his whole body and dancing around her. The dog rolled onto his back, so she bent down to rub his belly.

"Something I can do for you, or are you good just petting Seth?" Rose looked up to see a tall, muscular man standing over her. His jet black hair was pulled back and his face was streaked with grease. His smile was blindingly white and was a stark contrast to his deep bronze skin. Rose stood and brushed off her hands.

"Sorry, he just looked like he needed attention. You must be Jacob. I'm here for a car; my friend Alice said that you were the man to see." Rose glanced over the yard and didn't see anything that would _run, _much less anything she wanted.

"Heh, good ole Alice." Jacob noticed Rose's unimpressed expression and said quickly, "It's not what it looks like, I promise. These are just my heaps; the real cars are in the back. What are you looking for?"

"Well," Rose began, "I just quit my job, and I want to go on a road trip. I want something blue and fast."

"Blue and fast," Jacob mused. "We'll see what I have. What's your name again?"

"I'm Rosalie, Rosalie Hale."

They made their way to the garage. Rose waited while Jacob unlocked the hangar-like opening. He pulled the doors and Rose followed him into the darkness. Jacob hit the lights. Rose found herself in front of a long line of the most beautiful cars she had ever seen, in person anyway. BMWs, Aston Martins, a few Mercedes, all glistening, freshly cleaned and waxed.

"Whoa," Rose said, "how does a little body shop keep this kind of inventory?" She trailed her fingers down the side of one of the BMWs and looked back to Jacob.

"Repo auctions mostly, but my friend's dad is Chief of Police, too. He gets me cars that have been seized from the drug dealers and mobsters. They always have sweet rides." Jacob was beaming with pride over his motorcade of cool. Rose continued down the row of cars. Everything looked amazing; she'd be hard-pressed to choose just one. Then the real world caught up to her.

"These are great." Rose hesitated. "But, how much am I looking at spending on one of these? I only have a set amount of cash."

"Don't worry, we can work something out. It's not like I paid full price for them, and I _do _owe Alice a big favor." Jacob was leaning against a Porche and had a faraway look. Rose, wasn't entirely sure she should ask what kind of "big favor" Jacob owed Alice so she didn't.

"What do you recommend then? They all look great," she said, bringing Jacob back from his thoughts.

"Well, the BMWs are really popular right now," he began listing all the cars in the garage, giving her pros and cons of each one and skipping the big trucks that Rose noticed in the back. Jacob seemed quite astute in spite of his baby face and the fact that he had to be 10 years her junior.

"As helpful as that was," Rose said when he was finished, "do you have anything in blue?"

"Sure! Here. 2010 Dodge Charger, deep water blue." He motioned to the sleek, chiseled muscle car in a gorgeous muted blue. Rose was instantly in love.

"I'll take it!"

"Don't you want to know anything about it? This one's been tricked out, the engine has-"

Rose cut him off. "I can figure it out. I know my way around an engine."

"Great. You want to test drive it?"

"Nah. Just write up the paperwork for me and I'll sign it." Rose opened the driver side door and sat lightly in the seat. She adjusted it to suit her height. When she checked the rear-view mirror, she noticed that Jacob was staring at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just nice to see a woman who knows what she wants when she sees it. I'll, uh, I'll go get those papers." Jacob walked to the office, tripping over his feet as he went. _Cute kid, _Rose thought, _If he was 5 years older... _She continued orienting herself to the inside of her new car. The interior was a slate gray with leather seats. She searched the control panel and dash. _YES! Heated seats! _She was pleased. Jacob returned with papers in hand.

"Ok," he said, "everything is here sorted out; you just need to sign the papers. And pay of course." He handed her the papers and title, and she scanned them. She saw the price and stopped.

"Are you kidding me? Five grand? This car has to be worth ten times this!"

"Six actually, but I told you before that I get these things dirt cheap. And if I over charge you, Alice will probably kill me."

"You're sure?"

"Look, if you want to pay more, I'm not stopping you. But that's what I paid for it."

Rose was convinced and certainly wasn't going to argue. She pulled out her checkbook and the note fluttered to the ground without her noticing. Jacob reached down and grabbed it. Before handing it to her, he glanced at it. He smirked when he read the scrawled words.

"Wow. Someone has it bad for you. Not that I blame them."

Rose snatched the note from him. "Thanks," she muttered. "If that's everything I'll take my car and go."

He handed her the keys. Rose stuffed the title and registration papers into the glove box. She made a mental note to get insurance ASAP. Jacob pushed open the garage door to let her out and she slid into the driver's seat again. She revved the engine and was pleased by the sound. The gentle rumble reverberated off the walls of the garage. _Yes. This is absolutely perfect. _She put it in gear and eased into the yard. Jacob approached her window.

"If there's anything else you need just call me. I always have my cell. And if you ever, you know, want to like go out or anything-"

Rose cut him off. "I think I'll be fine." She flashed him her most winning smile and revved the engine again. Jacob, looking a little defeated, made his way to the gate. He opened it with no fear of Seth running off. Rose spotted the pup sitting next to a stack of tires, wagging his tail in a frenzy and kicking up dust. She drove off, still smiling about her recent acquisition. Everything was fitting into place nicely for once and she felt fulfilled.

Pulling into the private parking area for her building, she filled out the necessary paperwork to get a pass then found her assigned spot. She affixed the pass to her windshield. Grabbing her purse and keys, she left the parking area and walked to the front of the building. She caught a chill midway through her walk, and it made the hair on the back of her neckstand up. She stopped at the door. As she reached for the handle she scanned the street. _Nothing. Way to be paranoid, Rose, _she thought. She headed inside and shook the chill from her shoulders. Nothing was going to ruin her day.

*~o~*

He waited until she pulled away from the junkyard. Starting his car, he followed her at a distance. His thoughts were clouded by fantasies of all the things he wanted to do to her, but he managed to focus on driving. He couldn't help beaming when he replayed the events of the day in his head. Sneaking into her cubicle to leave the note in her purse was genius. Things were going exactly as he planned. He was beginning to faze her, throwing her off her game. Having her at her most vulnerable was essential to The Game, and he was delighted to watch it fall together so smoothly. _Soon. Patience is key. Soon __she'll be mine. _He knew he was the only man who could make her happy. If she couldn't see that right now, he would _make _her see it.

He saw her car pull into the private garage. Parking on the street, he waited to see if she would come to the front of the building. _Yes. Here she comes, my beautiful Rosalie. _He slouched down in his seat so he wouldn't be noticed, trailing her with only his eyes. He shook with desire, barely able to contain himself as she looked toward the street before going into the building. He waited a bit longer, soaking up her presence, before making his way home. He had to plan the next step of his game and he didn't want to waste any time.


	3. Confrontation

**Author's Note: Thank you to Littlevic and Twimarti for their help beta-ing this chapter for me! Your commas know no bounds! :D**

**Characters aren't mine, just the story.**

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The walk through the lobby and common room was unusually quiet. _Everyone must be out at lunch, _Rose thought. She got to her floor and went straight to Alice's apartment. Alice was waiting for her on the couch, watching a Lifetime movie. Jasper was sitting next to her rolling his eyes, looking desperate and impatient. He took Rosalie's entrance as an opportunity to leave, mumbling about getting something to eat as he scooted past her. The girls gave each other knowing looks and laughed.

"Men," Alice exclaimed, "they just don't get it!"

"In his defense, you watch the worst movies ever made."

Alice huffed. Rose dropped into the overstuffed armchair and told Alice about her trip to Jacob's lot. Alice giggled at Rose's retelling of Jacob's naive come-on attempt.

"Poor kid!" Alice laughed. "He didn't know better. I hope you let him down easy."

Rose shrugged. "_I _thought I was nice enough."

"So what did you end up getting?"

"A 2010 Dodge Charger. It's blue, fast, and has had a ton of modifications. I dig it."

"Great! Can we go for a ride later?"

"Absolutely. We'll go once Jasper gets back; I know he'll be mad if we go without him."

They chatted about random things, switching subjects quickly. Rose decided not to share about the note she received. She didn't want to worry Alice about something that was probably nothing. Soon enough, Jasper returned with bags of Chinese take-out and everyone ate happily, talking about where they wanted to go in Rose's new car. Suddenly, Jasper interrupted the conversation.

"Hey Rose, did you know you have a bunch of flowers outside your door?"

"What? No, I didn't notice when I came in," Rose said surprised. "When did those show up?"

"I dunno. They weren't there when I left, so someone must have dropped them off before I got back."

Rose hid her worry. "It's probably nothing. Maybe they're from work, celebrating my leaving."

Alice and Jasper chuckled. They went back to debating their destination but Rose was distracted. _Who the hell IS this guy? And why does he want me? _

"What do you think, Rose?" Alice asked. "Were you even listening?"

"No, sorry," Rose apologized and blushed slightly. "Where are we going?"

"Navy Pier. Jasper wants to ride in the big balloon, see the city, maybe even hit the beer garden."

"Um, ok sounds good. Let me hit my place really quick; I need to change into something that doesn't smell like an engine. Meet me downstairs in fifteen?" Rose excused herself and headed to her apartment.

_Holy crap! _She immediately spotted the roses. _He didn't say there was__ a freaking BUSHEL of roses out here. _She picked up the vase holding the bouquet and took it inside. When she placed it on the kitchen counter she dug through the roses looking for the note. She found it after a little trouble with pricking herself a few dozen times. Nervously, she pulled the note out of the white envelope and started reading.

_To my beautiful Rose_

_I'll see you soon_

Rose dropped the note as if it was on fire. She dumped the flowers, vase and all, into the trash. She grabbed the note from the floor and tossed it in the trash as well. Shaken, she went into her bedroom to change clothes. She took a cute shirt and a not-too-flattering pair of jeans from the dresser and put them on hurriedly. _No need to draw too much attention to myself. _After taking a good look in the mirror, she left her apartment with a sense of unease. Not knowing who was sending these _things _bothered her greatly, especially because he knew in which apartment she lived.

Jasper and Alice were waiting for her in the common room. She went to them, and the trio hiked over to the garage. They oohed and ahhed over the car as Rose showed it off. Jasper got in the backseat, leaving the front for Alice. The drive to the pier should have been short but midday traffic was awful. Rose wasn't worried though; she got to enjoy her new baby a bit longer. She was able to find a spot close to the pier as someone pulled out. They all got out of the car and started meandering towards the big balloon. The line was short and before she knew it, they were floating high above the pier and the hustle of Chicago's busy streets.

"So, Rose," Jasper asked, "who left you those flowers?"

"Ugh. I wasn't going to say anything, but I don't know. He keeps leaving these weird notes. It's like half the time they're sweet and the other half they're scary. I have the most bi-polar stalker ever!"

"Freaky. Have you thought about calling the cops?"

"No. They can't really do much if I don't have a name, right? Hell, I don't even know what this guy looks like. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Ooooh, have you decided where you're going?" Alice, who was oddly silent before, perked up with excitement.

"I'm thinking New Orleans first, or maybe Savannah. From there, I don't know. Maybe I'll head west. I've always wanted to see California."

"That sounds like fun. I'm so jealous." Alice pouted, her lower lip sticking out as far as she could make it.

"Aw, don't be sad, Panda. You can always fly out and meet me somewhere."

"I guess so." Alice looked thoughtful. "Hey, my brother's in L.A. now, we should meet up and hit Disneyland. I love Disney!"

"You would, Tinkerbell," Jasper replied, laughing. Alice was less than amused.

"I don't know, Alice. You know I'm not the biggest Edward fan."

"You can get over it. For me?" Alice batted her eyelashes at Rose.

"We'll see what happens."

The balloon began to lower, and Rose turned her thoughts to her beautiful city. The lake glistened in the sun, children begged their parents for one last ride on the ferris wheel, the streets pulsed with cars; she would surely miss this town. They climbed down the steps and decided what to do next. Alice begged them to choose miniature golf. Rose and Jasper begrudgingly agreed.

They picked out their clubs and balls then waited their turn at the first hole. Alice was superb; she had a knack for predicting the exact angle and timing of each obstacle. Rose was not as lucky and she rarely made par, most of the time ending up two swings over. Jasper was awful. _Good thing we have a ten swing limit_, Rose thought as Jasper hit the ball for the twelfth time. After hit fourteen, the ball finally found its destination. Jasper angrily snatched it out of the hole, cursing quietly.

"How many more of these freaking things do we have to do?"

"Only one more, dear," Alice said, patting his arm. "Then we can go to the beer garden." They finished the game; Alice won by a ridiculous margin and she celebrated by taking them to a crappy hotdog stand. Rose finished her dog and took her wrapper to the trash. She looked up from the can to see a man watching her. He looked away quickly when she returned his stare. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't put her finger on it. She walked back to Alice and Jasper. She glanced back over her shoulder to look at the man again, but he was already gone, leaving in the opposite direction with another woman. _Just another random dude checking me out, _she thought with a slight air of vanity. _And I thought I dressed like crap. _

She caught up to Alice and Jasper. They went over to the beer garden and listened to a Led Zepplin tribute band while Jasper enjoyed his brew. The band took a break as Jasper was finishing, and Rose was eager to leave.

"Ok, so what do you guys want to do now?" She could barely hide her impatience.

"I don't know," Alice said, teasing her, "what do _you_ want to do?"

"I kind of want to start packing for my road trip. I have a lot to do and it feels like it's going to take _forever._"

"You are so dramatic! You'll definitely want my help. I can't let you out of the state dressed like THAT." Alice motioned to Rosalie's current choice of clothing.

"If you insist. But that means I get to forward my mail to your box."

"Of course!"

Jasper led the way back to the car. Rose drove them home slowly by no choice of her own; Friday evening traffic on the lake was a bear! Finally they pulled into the garage. When they reached Rose's apartment, Alice gave Jasper a quick hug and sent him on his way. Rose unlocked the door and the girls went in, Alice absolutely ecstatic over the prospect of digging through every ounce of clothing Rose owned.

Rosalie dug out her suitcases from the hall closet, and by the time she turned around, Hurricane Alice was already elbows deep in the dresser drawers. Smiling, Rose brought the first suitcase to the room and tossed it on the bed. She stood back, only giving out yes or no answers when Alice was undecided about an article of clothing. _She is absolutely in her element, _Rose thought. She swatted at a bra that came flying at her. It gave her an idea. She slyly picked up a thong, stretched it like a rubber band, and released it. The undies nailed Alice in the back of the head and caught in her spiky hair. Alice spun around, eyes narrowed in a glare.

"Oh no you di'in't!"

"Oh yes I di'id!"

Alice grabbed a sock and threw it. Rose dodged, grabbing another pair of underwear and flung it. Alice caught them and found a bra. Swinging it over her head like a lasso, she started chasing Rose around the room. Rose threw a shirt behind her and caught Alice off guard. She fell onto the bed and burst into giggles. Rose jumped next to her and joined her in the laughter.

"You know," Alice said once they had calmed down a bit, "I'm really going to miss this. Do you really have to leave? You quit your job, isn't that enough?"

"It's really not. I need a change of scenery. I want to see what else is out there." Rose was resolute. "It's not like I'm leaving forever," she added.

They got back on task. Rose noticed that the mood was more somber now as the realization that she was actually _leaving_ set in. Alice managed to squeeze most of Rose's clothing into two suitcases, organized by color and season of course. Together they went to the kitchen to empty it of perishables. Alice started opening cabinets while Rose checked the fridge. Rose rarely ate at home, spending much of her time with Alice, so she didn't keep a lot of food on hand.

"What did you find, Alice?"

"Crackers, a bit of cereal, some jelly, and an empty jar of peanut butter. Seriously, Rose, if it's empty just toss it! What do you have?"

"Some milk, three boxes of take out, mustard, and carrots that are growing more carrots. That can't be good." Rose wrinkled her nose and threw the lot of it in the trash. Alice did the same with her discoveries.

"There," Alice said, "now what?" They stood in the kitchen in silence. Alice looked like the saddest pixie in the world, staring up at Rose from across the room.

"Ice cream?" Rose offered.

"You dork," Alice said smiling, "you don't HAVE any ice cream!"

"No, but you do, right?"

"Why yes, yes I do. I think."

"I'll meet you over there once I dump this stuff down the chute." Rose tied up the trash bag and the girls parted ways at the door. Rose walked to the end of the hall and pried open the garbage chute. She dropped in the bag and the hatch snapped shut nearly taking Rose's hand with it. _Every single time, _she thought while glaring at the chute. Rose started toward Alice's, but paused when she saw someone at her door. He wasn't looking in her direction so she slowly crept down the hall, staying as close to the wall as possible. The man put his ear to her door. Rose took the opportunity to slam both fists into his back with enough force to ricochet his face off the door. He collapsed to the ground and Rose stood over him. She kicked him so that he rolled onto his back and so she could get a good look at his face.

"Who the fuck are you and why the fuck are you at my door?" Rose demanded, putting her foot on his throat. The man gasped, his eyes wide with fear and surprise.

"I-I'm Mike, Mike Newton, I was just looking for Ben," the man choked out, "I thought this was his place, my God I'm so sorry, I had no idea!" He was shaking and struggling to breathe. Rose looked him over to see if he was stalker-material, keeping even pressure on his neck until she was certain he wasn't going to give her trouble.

She removed her foot from his throat and helped him to his feet. He took a huge step back and steadied himself.

"Sorry, Mike," Rose apologized. "I thought you were someone else. Ben is one floor up."

"No worries. I guess it's my lucky day. I'd hate to be the guy you WERE expecting!" Mike laughed nervously, edging his way to the elevator. Rose watched as Mike launched himself into the elevator the second he was able, running someone over in the process. She felt a little bad that she took the kid down, b_ut __what kind of a guy snoops around outside someones door? A stalker, that's who. _Rose justified her skittish behavior. She double checked her locks before finishing her walk to Alice's. She considered knocking but remembered that she was expected, so she just walked in and closed the door behind her. She was not prepared for what she saw.

"Oh my GOD! What the hell happened here? What are you _doing?_"

Alice and Jasper looked up at her from their places on the floor. Jasper was covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce from head to toe, and Alice mirrored him; it was like looking at a toddler's fantasy and a parent's nightmare. Alice was holding the bottle of chocolate syrup menacingly, her eyes now fixed on Rose.

"Don't you _dare,_" Rose commanded as she backed away slowly. Before she could run, Jasper grabbed her ankle and sprayed her with the whipped cream. Rose wrenched it out of his grasp and turned the can on him. Jasper reached into the fridge and grabbed a jar of cherries and began flicking them at the girls. Soon the three of them were laughing, sticky, and exhausted.

"So does this mean you don't have ice cream?" Rose asked, leaning against the counter top.

"No ice cream," Alice answered when she had calmed down. She hopped up to sit on the counter. "Why do you think they do this: We get one carton of ice cream, one bottle of chocolate syrup, one can of whipped cream, one jar of cherries, etcetera, but we end up running out of ice cream long before anything else? Why?"

"Alice, it is way too late to think in the same dimension as your brain," Jasper said. Alice slapped at him but he just laughed.

"Ok you two," Rose said, "I have to get going. Thanks to _you _I need a long shower to get all this crap out of my hair. I'll be back in the morning for breakfast. I'll even make you pancakes." She surveyed the kitchen mess. "That's assuming I can walk through here without sticking to the floor!" Jasper snapped a towel at her, chasing her out the door.

Rose ran down the hall praying no one saw her. She heard the elevator ding behind her but was able to duck into her apartment quickly. She kicked her shoes off and stripped for her shower. She was careful not to get her sticky clothes on anything important in her clothes hamper. _Mental note: Do laundry before bed. _She steamed up her bathroom so it would be warm, then immersed herself in the hot spray of the shower head. It took longer than she expected to clean the chocolate out of her hair, but she didn't mind the extra time in the water. Her thoughts drifted from where she should go first to what she should do when she got there. She felt like she was looking for something, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

When everything was finally rinsed from her hair, Rose stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a towel and wrapping herself with it, she went into the bedroom. She found some sleep clothes, some of the only things Alice _didn't _pack, and threw them on quickly. She picked up a few odds and ends to add to the laundry basket then took it all to the tiny closet that housed her stacked washer dryer combo. She started her laundry, shut off all the lights in the living room, and turned to go to bed. She hesitated and decided to check the locks one more time. Satisfied that everything was secure, she climbed into bed.

The washer was making too much noise for her to sleep so Rose picked up her laptop. She started looking up various tourist destinations. Aquariums were her favorite, followed by theme parks, so she mapped out a route that optimized her sightseeing stops.

_*****__BZZZZZZ!__*****_

Rose nearly jumped out of her skin. She caught herself when she realized it was just the washing machine buzzer letting her know the cycle was finished. She got out of bed and put everything into the dryer, then climbed back under the covers. She saved the list of stops to her email and closed her laptop. Sinking into her pillows, she reached up at turned off the light.

As she closed her eyes she heard a knock. _What the hell was that? _Rose sat straight up in bed and listened closer. The knock became more and more rhythmic. _Oh for Pete's sake, _she thought, rolling her eyes, _it's the freaking dryer. Keep it up, Rosalie, and you're going to have to see those special men with the big nets__! _She laid back down and, once her heart stopped racing, drifted off to sleep.

With roses in hand, he rode the elevator up to her floor. He chose lavender this time because the florist said it meant "love at first sight", and that certainly represented how he felt. The way she moved, the way she laughed when she was with her friends, the way her nose crinkled when she was irritated... it was all absolutely enchanting. When he watched her, he felt confident and in control.

The elevator approached her floor and he tapped his foot impatiently. The doors opened but as he moved forward to exit, a man came flying in at him and started pounding the "Close Door" button frantically.

"What's your problem asshole?" he said, standing over the panicked man.

"I'm sorry, dude," the guy said, "I just got my ass handed to me by some hot blonde because I was standing outside her door. I thought she was going to follow me or something."

"Rose kicked your ass? Two guys in one week; that's one tough broad."

"Yeah. She knows her stuff. I'm Mike by the way." He looked down at the floor then added, "Sorry about the flowers."

"I'll buy more. I should thank you; had you not been there, it would be my ass that would have been kicked."

Mike looked at him warily, backing out of the elevator on the next floor.

Frowning, the man rode the elevator back to the main floor. With his roses trampled, he would have to find a different way to show Rosalie Hale his undying devotion...


	4. Why me?

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to Twimarti and sbsp92 for their awesome beta-ing! You guys are great!**

**Characters don't belong to me but the story does.  
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_Rosalie ran through a dense forest as fast as she could. Her vision was fogged. Stumbling through the underbrush, she rubbed her eyes, __but they remained clouded. Heart pounding, she looked back and caught the outline of her pursuer. The massive black shadow was closing in on her. She pushed herself, forcing her legs to run faster, but they failed her. She tripped and threw her hands out to break her fall. Before she could get up again, the shadow was on top of her, suffocating her under its pressure. _

Rose awoke heaving. She brought her hands to her face and gently touched her eyes to assure herself that they were fine. Looking toward the window, she realized it was barely dawn. _There's no way I can go back to sleep after that, _she thought.

She got out of bed and puttered around her apartment, folding the clothes from the dryer and cleaning a few last minute things that needed done before the trip. Her stomach growled, so she checked the time. _I wonder if 8:30 is too early to go over there. I'm the one making breakfast, so I would think_ _it's ok. _Rose decided to get dressed.

As she went to open her door, she hoped there were no surprises waiting for her. _What will it be today? A note? Flowers? A dead cat on an altar__? _She slowly opened her door and peeked out to find...

Nothing. _Nothing? Really? _Though Rose was happy to find an empty hall, a part of her was a little disappointed. _Well, good. Maybe he's found someone else to hunt down and pester. _She locked up and found her key for Alice's while she walked. She unlocked the door and went inside.

Rose went straight into the kitchen where she found herself face to face with a boxer-clad Jasper.

"Oh jeez, Jasper," Rose exclaimed, "go put clothes on! You knew I was coming over!"

Jasper shook his butt at her before taking off to the bedroom for clothes. Rose rolled her eyes. _Some things never change_. She began the pancake making process, expertly navigating Alice's kitchen. She was setting out plates on the little four person table when Alice walked out of the bedroom, sleepy and still in her nightclothes.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Rose greeted the disheveled Alice while pouring coffee into her favorite mug. Alice accepted it with a grunt, sat at the table, and watched Rose put the finishing touches on breakfast. "What has you so grumpy today?"

"I'm not grumpy. I'm tired. It took forever to clean that crap off of the floor." Alice sipped her coffee and glared at the floor. "Stupid, cheap-ass linoleum."

Rose laughed. She put the food on the table,and Jasper came running in from the living room before she could even call him. They all ate eagerly; Rose's food was always perfect. When they were done, Jasper cleared the table while Rose and Alice talked about the last minute things Rose needed to do before she left.

"Do you have your personal toiletries packed? And what about your bills, electricity, rent, all that fun stuff?"

"I have most of my bills on automatic bill pay; the only thing that isn't is rent. Maybe I can write and date some checks and you can hand them in for me?

"That would work! Good call. What about your laundry on the road?"

"I'm sure I can find laundromats wherever I go."

"That's true. Have you decided _where _you're going yet?"

"I was looking at places last night. I think I'll hit Six Flags in Louisville, the aquarium in Atlanta, Panama City Beach, New Orleans, then head West and see what happens."

"It sounds like so much fun." Alice sighed wistfully. "How did I end up being the one saying that _I_ can't go with _you _because of work?"

"Being a grown up sucks. That's why I quit."

They chuckled. Jasper finished the dishes and joined them in the conversation.

"What time are you headed out, sister of mine?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Jaz?" Rose pretended to pout, then smiled. "I'm leaving in a few minutes. Can you help me to my car with a few things? Alice packed half my apartment and I don't want to make multiple trips."

"Sure thing. Let me grab shoes."

"I'm coming too!" Alice hopped up and ran to her bedroom to get dressed, leaving Rose alone at the table. Not two minutes later, Alice came back, fully dressed and carrying a large gift bag. Before Rose could ask what it was, Alice thrust it at her.

"Open it, open it!" Alice was absolutely giddy over the mystery gift. Rose's brow furrowed as she reached inside and pulled out a big, black, rectangular case. Alice watched her expectantly, waiting for her reaction.

"Gee, Alice. Thanks? What the heck is it?"

"It's an emergency kit, silly! It has flares, flat tire repair gunk, a first aid kit, and all the things you need just in case something happens."

"That's cool, Alice! Thank you! I hope I don't need it though." Rose smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness. "Let's put this with my other things and start loading down my car."

Alice and Jasper waited while Rose ran down her checklist. _Laptop, phone charger, camera, shoes, underwear... _She checked things off quickly. She brushed her teeth and stuffed her toiletries into her overnight bag. Once she was finished, she carried the first of three bags to the door. Jasper fetched the other bags while Alice fussed with Rose's hair. _Always the perfectionist. _Rose smiled and let her best friend tease the waves in her hair.

"Good grief, Rose, did you get it all?" Jasper strained under the weight of the bags.

"Blame Alice; she packed. Do you want me to get one of those?"

"No, let's just get out of here before my shoulders dislocate."

Jasper waddled into the hall, followed by Alice. Rosalie took one more look around before closing and locking the door. Jasper led the way to the elevator, pushed the "Down" button, and dropped the bags.

When the doors opened, they boarded, Jasper muttering and dragging the bags behind him. When the doors closed, Rose reached to put her keys in her purse. She glanced at the floor and did a double-take.

She bent down and touched the torn petals that covered the floor. She searched the ground for a note, pushing the others out of the way until she found it wedged in the rear baseboard. She tore it open immediately.

_**Lavender, on a rose**_

_**Means 'Love at first sight'**_

_**You've had my heart**_

_**Since I saw you that night**_

Without a word, she handed the note to Alice, who then handed it to Jasper.

"Okay, no offense, Rose," Jasper said, "but I'm glad you're leaving. This guy is Captain Bizarro."

Rose nodded. She had a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she was suddenly regretting eating such a big breakfast. Alice hugged her tightly.

"It's going to be okay, Rosie. You're going on your trip and when you get back, this guy will have completely moved on." Alice's words brought comfort to Rose; she knew Alice was right about everything, as always.

"Let's just get to the car so I can go. This place is creeping me out."

The walk to the garage was slow due to Alice's over packing. Jasper made jokes to lighten the mood and they seemed to work; Rose was feeling lighter and the feeling in her stomach was replaced with butterflies.

When she saw her car, however, those butterflies turned to lead. She dropped her duffel bag and slowly approached the car.

_Why?_

The windshield was smashed but intact, as were all four windows and the back. The side-view mirrors were hanging on by their wires. The headlamps were busted. The paint, _Oh, not my beautiful blue paint! _was keyed front to back. The tires were slashed. _Who would _do _this? _She though angrily. She looked closer at the key marks.

**YOU CAN'T LEAVE NOW**

**WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED**

She dropped to her knees and started crying. The stress of the last three days caught up to her and she sobbed it away. Alice knelt next to her, rubbing her back gently without saying a word. When her chest stopped heaving, she stood and wiped her eyes. Legs still shaky, she steadied herself on Alice. She took a few deep breaths and blinked back the rest of her tears.

"I'm so sorry, Rose." Jasper was solemn. "I don't think the emergency road kit quite covers this."

Alice glared at him, but Rose laughed until it hurt. Jasper couldn't help but laugh too.

"If you two are quite finished, I'm going to call Jacob to have him come get this... thing... and have it hauled to his shop."

Jacob's cell phone rang. Bleary eyed, he missed twice before finally grabbing it off his nightstand. He didn't recognize the number, but he did recognize the time. _Who the hell is calling me at six__ in the morning? I'm way too hung over__ for this._

The man on the other end was brief. In no uncertain terms, he gave Jacob a set of instructions he was to follow to the letter. Dumbfounded, Jacob listened intently to the man's orders. The man finished and asked Jacob if he had any questions.

"Are you the guy who was up here yesterday asking all those weird questions?"

"No."

"What's in it for me?"

"If you do this and manage to keep it quiet, I'll pay double." That was enough motivation for Jacob.

"Sure, no problem. When the mega-babe comes in with the busted ride, fix it, call the mystery man, then get paid with questionable at best funds. What could go wrong?"

"Nothing, if you want to keep your garage." The man hung up and Jacob stared at the phone for a moment before closing it. He shook his head vigorously. _Either I'm hallucinating or that actually happened. Why does this stuff always happen on my day off? _He tossed the phone on the nightstand and drifted back to sleep.

Rose paced the kitchen impatiently while Alice phoned Jacob. Rose chewed at her nails, a habit she only indulged in when she was at her most anxious. She turned to Alice and motioned for her to share the other half of the conversation. Alice waved her off and Rose sighed, exasperated. Finally Alice hung up and handed Rose her phone.

"Well?" Rose demanded impatiently.

"He's sending out a tow. And Chief Swan is going to meet us down there."

"Why? Wouldn't he want to look at it here?"

"No, I just want you to talk to him about the whole stalker thing. It's gotten out of hand."

"But do you really think he'll be able to do anything? He couldn't even keep his own daughter from disappearing."

"She didn't disappear so much as marry Edward last September." Alice winced, waiting for Rose's reaction.

"Wow. I'll go out on a limb and say my invitation was lost in the mail. I guess now I know why you and Jaz went to L.A. so suddenly." Rose didn't try to hide the hurt in her voice.

"I'm sorry. You don't need to think about this right now. Let's just get to the car and start putting your trip back together."

"Yeah. Let's do that."

They reached the car at the same time as the tow driver. Because of the low clearance, he told them that they would have to bring the car to the truck. They debated back and forth about how to do it. Finally, Rose had enough.

"I'll just drive it. It can't be that bad. It'll spark a little but what's the worst that could happen? It's only one floor up." She handed her purse to Alice and got into the car. The others made their way to the tow truck and Rose started the engine, praying it didn't explode.

Instead of an explosion, she was greeted with the engine starting and a CD clicking into place. Confusion set in as the music played.

_Maybe it's intuition  
But some things you just don't question  
Like in your eyes  
I see my future in an instant  
and there it goes  
I think I've found my best friend  
I know that it might sound more than  
a little crazy but I believe _

_I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life _

Savage Garden serenaded her through the speakers, the lyrics sending a chill down her spine. She ejected the CD and inspected it. The CD was labeled "**Songs f****or Rose**" in big block letters. She threw it into the passenger seat furiously. _This is too much, _Rose thought. _Too much even for me. I've got to get the hell out of here._

Rose put the car into reverse, pulled out of the space, and started rolling to the exit. She pressed on the brakes as she approached the steep incline of the exit. The car didn't respond. She pressed harder but the car continued rolling. _Shit shit shit shit shit. _She pulled the hand brake and it popped up, having no effect on the car or its growing speed. She barely had time to accept her fate before the car plunged itself in the traffic laden street.

Horn blared, tires skidded, and Rose prayed for a miracle, closing her eyes and bracing for impact. The Charger slammed headlong into the building across the street, somehow missing all the cars on the normally packed road. When she hit the building, Rose felt the airbag explode, preventing her from smacking her head on the steering wheel but pressing tiny shards of glass into her face. _My face! _The vain thought was out of her mind as quickly as it entered when she heard Alice screaming.

"My God, Rose, are you okay?" Alice was at her window, now completely shattered, half screaming half crying.

"The car is ready to be towed now," was all Rose could say.

"What's left of it! Come on, I'm taking you to Dad's. He'll fix you up. Taxi or ambulance?"

Rose hated the thought of getting an ambulance for something so small, so she agreed to a cab. She tried to open the door but couldn't move it. The tow driver was able to muscle it open, and the metal screeched and groaned as it shifted. Rose stepped out but immediately felt faint. Jasper steadied her and guided her to the cab.

"Alice," Rose said, remembering the newest piece in her puzzle, "grab the CD off the front seat!"

The girls settled into the cab. Jasper leaned in to give his sister a hug and kissed her on the forehead.

"Everything will be fine, darlin'. I'll take care of the car, you go with Alice, let Dr. C fix you up, and you'll see those Hotlanta fishies yet." He shut the door. The cab took off for Mercy Medical. Rose tried to stay awake but she was. _So. Damn. Tired._

_NO. This wasn't supposed to happen. _He seethed with rage. He never should have let her get into that car. He should have said something, but he was frozen in place. He watched her car slide into the street, narrowly missing a minivan before slamming to a stop.

He took his phone from his pocket and dialed.

"Hey, Doctor Cullen, it looks like I will be coming into work today after all. Let me know if you have any special cases for me."

He strapped his helmet on and revved his bike. He had to beat the cab to the hospital.

Rose opened her eyes and realized she was alone in a hospital bed. Judging by the cross on the wall, she assumed she made it to Mercy. _Good. I hope Carlisle is here. _She stretched her arms and was stopped short. Her left wrist was in a cast and an IV was sticking out of her right hand. She checked herself over for more evidence of her less than pleasant road trip, and found that her left calf was bandaged, her back was sore, and she needed to pee. _Badly. _

She reached for the nurse call button and pressed it. A nurse bustled in almost immediately, dragging with her the vitals cart.

"Hello there! My name is Angie. Do you know where you are?"

"Yes, of course I do. I think. I'm at Mercy Hospital, right?"

"That's right! The last few times you came around for a few minutes here and there, you insisted that you were at the zoo." Angie chuckled and Rose smiled.

"What happened? I mean, I know _what happened_, but how'd I end up like this?"

"Dr. Cullen should be here in a few minutes, but basically you have a concussion and you broke a tiny bone in your left hand, probably from bracing against the steering wheel. You also had a huge cut on your shin that was sutured, only 7 or 8 total sutures, but it bled quite a bit."

Nurse Angie helped Rose out of bed. Limping on her injured leg, she used the tiny bathroom. She didn't want to look in the mirror but couldn't help herself. A dozen or so red cuts peppered her face. _Oh, bloody hell. That better not scar. _Angie aided Rose back to the bed.

"Do you need anything? You can have anything you want to eat. The menu is next to the phone."

"Are they still doing breakfast?"

Angie stared at her blankly then recovered. "No, breakfast was over about 12 hours ago. You've been out of it almost all day."

"That explains my murderous hunger pains."

"That will do it every time." Angie patted her leg. "If you need _anything, _I'm right outside your door. I'll let the doctors know you're awake."

Rose thanked her. Angie closed the door gently as she left and Rose suddenly realized how quiet it was. She looked over the menu and didn't see anything of interest, but knowing she had to eat, chicken strips seemed safe.

She ordered her food then sat. And sat. She picked at her cast, wondering which bone had broken. She used the bed remote to turn the TV on, but she couldn't find a happy medium for the volume. After trying a few times she just turned it back off.

Pain started to set in all over Rose's body. Each individual stitch pulled and throbbed under the bandage. Her wrist pulsed at the same time, making an interesting rhythm in her mind. The rhythm made her think of that CD that was in her car. She scanned the room for her personal effects but couldn't see anything. She was about to buzz for the nurse again when a wall of man barged into the room.

The wall of man was about 6'5" Rose guessed, and a solid 230 lbs. He wore tight khaki slacks and a baby blue button down shirt under his lab coat, and from what Rose could tell, he was all muscle. His eyes were a deep jade that Rose had never seen before and his hair was jet black, slicked back as though he just stepped out of the shower.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need something for the pain?" He looked absolutely distraught and was really quite concerned for a normal doctor. _If his bedside manner is half as good as his looks are though, _Rose thought, _he's down for doc of the year. _

"I'm definitely going to want something for the pain," Rose confessed.

"I'll hook you up. Let me scan your armband." He leaned over to scan Rose's identification band. She felt her breath catch when he put his face so close to hers. He pulled back. "There. Looks like Dr. C has you on Vicodin now that you're awake." He went to the door to ask Angie to grab the medication and came back. He pulled up a chair next to her bed. It looked as though he was going to hold her hand but caught himself first.

"Who _are _you?"

"I'm Dr. Emmett McCarty. I'm the reason you're in the hospital right now."

* * *

**Oh Emmett! The shame! Leave the good doctor reviews!**

**Chapter 5 is on the way, promise!  
**


	5. Busted

**Author's Notes: Great big giant thank yous to MosCorner and of course Twimarti! You guys are awesome betas!**

**None of the characters are mine :(  
**

* * *

For the first time in her life, Rosalie was truly terrified. No scary movie nor near death experience, not even her worst physical fight with Royce, held a candle to what she felt at that moment. Helpless, she stared at him, waiting for him to say or do something.

He seemed truly ashamed of himself and Rose wondered why. _A guy terrorizes a woman,__ then feels remorse? That's a new one._

Rose was about to ask him one of a hundred questions flying through her head, but the door opened. Angie came in and gave Rose her pills, scanned her wristband, and got her a cup of water.

"Is everything okay?" Angie could sense the tension in the room. She looked at Rose. "Do you need anything?"

Rose shook her head. Dr. McCarty waved her out of the room. Angie looked once more at Rose, silently asking if she needed help. Rose shook her head again. She was determined to take care of this herself. The door clicked gently.

"I am so, so, so very sorry!" The doctor exploded once he was sure that Angie was out of ear shot. Rose jumped at the sudden outburst. "No, please don't be scared," he pleaded. "I never thought you'd get hurt. I didn't think for a second you or anyone else would have to get into the car and _drive _it."

"Okay, let's back up a minute. _You're _the one who has been stalking me?"

"I thought it was more of a Secret Admirer thing." He looked crushed, and for a reason unknown to her, Rose wanted to just scoop him up and hug him. She came back to reality.

"Well, yeah, some of it was sweet, but the other shit is NOT cool. What's wrong with you?"

"Do you want a list?" His lame joke did not make Rose feel better. She opened her mouth to tear into him, but there was a knock at the door.

A tiny Latino woman walked in carrying Rose's food tray. She placed it on the table and walked right back out.

The doctor got up and shut the door again. Rose panicked at first, thinking he was going to lock it, and was relieved when he didn't. He brought her food over.

"Eat. You haven't eaten all day." He lifted the lid to the tray and set it aside. "Chicken strips! Good choice." Rose grabbed the food from him.

"You need to keep talking. My curiosity is the only thing keeping me from calling the cops."

"Fair enough. Where to begin?" He leaned back in his chair, running his hand forward through his hair from the back. His hair started to curl as it dried and Rose wanted to touch the tiny little tendrils that framed his face.

_Get a grip! This guy has been _stalking _you! Stockholm syndrome much?_

"How about at the part where you started following me around and trying to kill me?"

"It's not what you think."

"You followed me around, left notes, dead roses, messages, and scared the crap out of me. What am I supposed to think?" Rose glared at him.

"Yes, there's that, but... let me just start at the very beginning.

"About a month ago, I saw you here with Alice. You were delivering Dr. C's birthday cake; you probably don't remember, but I held the door for you. You looked stunning, like an angel and a goddess rolled into one. I _begged _Alice to introduce us. She kept putting it off and told me that you just got out of a bad relationship.

"Then Thursday, I saw Alice and your brother at the club. She was going to take me over to you, but when we got there, you were beating the shit out that guy. Totally hot, by the way. I saw him take off with your purse, so I grabbed him and took it back. I didn't think he took anything, so I returned it and left you a note. I bought a rose and put it on your door." He sighed. "I guess I freaked you out more than anything."

"Ya think?" Rose felt a wave of calm hit her as she spoke. Everything seemed to slow down. She was suddenly very comfortable and relaxed. _Oh,__ feel those pain pills work their magic, _she thought as she eased back into more reclined position.

"You should have eaten when I told you to." His voice was deep and soothing. She wanted to crawl into his lap and fall asleep but she didn't even have the strength to keep her eyelids from drooping.

"You don't get to tell me what to do," Rose murmured while closing her eyes. "Skip ahead to the part where you tried to kill me with my car."

"Last night I was going to leave flowers outside your door. Some kid destroyed them when I was trying to get off at your floor, so I had to find a different way to get your attention."

"So you totaled my car?"

"No! I went home and made you a CD." He blushed. "Pretty dumb, I know. I made the CD and brought it back to your car. This morning I went back to put something else in it, but when I got there, someone had worked it over pretty well.

"I should have called the cops then, but I didn't think that you were going to get hurt. I called a friend and was going to get everything taken care of for you. I went to check on it again this morning, but you were already flinging it into traffic. You really scared the crap out of everyone, you know."

"But what about-" Rose was interrupted by the door flinging open and Alice rushing to her. Alice squeezed her and sat on the bed.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Alice hugged her again.

"You think YOU were scared." Rose huffed. "Alice, I want you to meet Dr. McStalker."

"Who, Emmett?" Alice laughed. "He already told me about his secret admirer thing while you slept. I'm sure he's very sorry for scaring you, aren't you Em?" Emmett nodded. "See? He's sorry."

Rose couldn't believe Alice dismissed him that quickly. She closed her eyes again, but it didn't stop the room from spinning.

"Alice, I think we should let Rose rest. She's had a long day."

"No," Rose said sleepily, "I still need to talk to you. About all of this. Don't go anywhere." She grabbed hold of Emmett's sleeve. She heard voices answering her, but she slipped into a deep sleep before she could understand what they were saying.

His plan was rolling along smoothly. Rosalie would be stuck in the hospital at least another 24 hours, giving him plenty of time to go through her apartment and find out more about her. The kid at the garage had been a great informant, but nothing beats first hand knowledge.

He cleared his schedule for the next day. He had _real _work to do.

Rose woke up slowly. She heard snoring, but it was deeper than Alice's typical snore. She went to rub her eyes but smacked herself in the face instead. _Dammit! Stupid cast. _

She looked over at the figure sleeping on the couch and realized that it was _not_ Alice, unless Alice suddenly doubled in size and turned into a super hot Dr. McStalker.

He had draped himself over the pullout sleeper and was half covered by a flimsy hospital sheet. He was wearing a plain back shirt, and from what Rose could see it fit nicely. His face was pressed against the arm of the couch, squeezing his features into a babyish pout. The sun shone off his brown-black curls and that was when Rose realized it.

_He. Is. ADORABLE. Stalker or not, he is _cute_! _Rose then admonished herself for being so irrational. Having a firm grip on reality and not getting carried away with emotion is something she prided herself on. She had gone through too many heart breaks to just give herself to the first unhealthily obsessed guy that came around, no matter how adorable he was while he slept. She decided to remove temptation and wake him up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rose asked loudly. Dr. McStalker stirred, but didn't wake or respond. Rose looked for something to throw and found an extra pillow within her reach. She grabbed it and flung it as hard as she could at the snoring doctor.

"UMPH!" The pillow hit him in the face. He reached up with one huge hand and slowly lowered it until just his eyes were peeking out over the top. The look he gave Rose made her want to launch herself out of the bed and take him, but she managed to maintain her composure. Barely.

"Well? What are you doing here?" She tried to sound stern.

"You told me not to go anywhere, so I didn't." He grinned at her like some sort of love-sick Cheshire cat. "Besides, by the time you let go of my sleeve it was midnight and I didn't feel like going home anyway." He sat up and stretched his arms above his head, giving Rose a full view of what she couldn't see yesterday. His shirt lifted up and Rose caught a glimpse of a beautifully carved six-pack. She brought her eyes up his body, outlining every muscle, and she was very thankful for the inventor of Hanes muscle tees. She looked across his chest, admiring the breadth of his shoulders, then followed his neck up to his perfect face... that was now smirking at her.

"See anything you like?" His eyes twinkled, daring her to lie so he could call her on it.

"You have drool on your shirt." Rose covered her ass. "At least, I _hope _that's drool." It was her turn to smirk as he wiped off his shirt.

"Ha, ha. How are you feeling?"

"My wrist hurts, my leg hurts, and I'm tired." She yawned, as if to prove her point.

"Do you want me to get you something for the pain?"

"Why, so I can fall asleep in the middle of a conversation again? No, thank you. I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself." He leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

"Hey! Don't you dare go back to sleep! You have questions to answer, dammit."

"Nah. I'm tired too. I had a long night." Emmett kept his eyes closed and folded his arms behind his head. _Is he messing with me? Oh, HELL no._

"In that case, I'll just check myself out. Wouldn't want to be a burden on the busy doctor." That got Emmett's attention.

"What do you want to know?" He got up and sat in the chair next to her bed, placing his hands close to hers. Uncomfortable with that, Rose shifted in the bed until she was sitting and facing him.

She had a whole host of questions to ask him still and didn't know where to start. Even worse was that she had started thinking of questions that weren't related to his stalking habits, but just involved getting to know _him_. Those conflicting emotions were really starting to piss her off. She decided to cut to the chase and ask the biggest question that had been eating away at her.

"Why didn't you just come up to me and introduce yourself? Why leave notes and act all weird about it?"

"You scare the living hell out of me! You're beautiful, smart, funny, confident- do I have to go on? You are absolutely perfect. I didn't want to look like an idiot." Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "I know, it didn't work, but it was worth a shot. The second I saw you, I fell in love with you."

"You... you imprinted on me? Like a baby duck?"

"Yes! Well, not exactly like that, but mostly, yes."

"So, if you 'love' me so much... why did you leave the creepy note at my office with all those black rose petals?"

"Rose, I've never been-"

"Breakfast! Who wants donuts?" Alice burst into the room carrying a box of breakfast pastries. Rose and Emmett stared at her. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Rose said pointedly, "the good doctor was just leaving."

"It's okay, I have plenty for everyone." Alice smiled slyly. She was definitely up to no good and Rose didn't appreciate it.

"You're the devil. I just thought you should know that," Rose informed her friend. Alice giggled and handed out food.

Rose watched as Emmett devoured his donut, then two more. He and Alice were talking, but Rose wasn't listening. She was focused on the way his lips moved, the way he smiled when he spoke, his deep booming laugh that shook the room. Everything about him attracted her and she found it difficult to look away. She began to wonder if she had imprinted on him.

_Heh. Quack. _Emmett and Alice looked at her.

"What was that, Rose?" Alice was puzzled by her friend's noise. Emmett was trying not to laugh. Apparently her private thought was a little more vocal than what she intended.

"Nothing," Rose mumbled, desperate to change the subject. "Hey, where's Jasper?" Jasper never missed a meal and certainly couldn't be pried away from Alice most of the time.

"He went to go talk to Dad about something. He's been acting weird lately." Alice shrugged it off and nibbled her cruller. Rose always admired Alice's ability to let things roll off her back and never get to her.

"Maybe he has a guy question?"

"Maybe. I just like that they're close."

Rose agreed. She and Jasper had been adopted as honorary Cullens in high school; Carlisle and Esme were like the loving parents they never had. Rose and Jasper's parents were absent, always traveling and leaving them with sitters, and when they were home they fought constantly. When they died in a plane crash during Rose's senior year, the Cullens were quick to welcome them as part of the family.

The throbbing in Rose's leg grew to be more than she could stand. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to elevate her wound to slow the pulsing. Emmett noticed her pained expression.

"Rosalie, let me get you something for the pain, if nothing else a Motrin or something. I hate seeing you in pain."

"A Motrin is fine. But no funny business, I don't want to pass out again."

"One Motrin, hold the roofie." Rose didn't find his little joke amusing. Emmett went to the nurses' station, leaving the girls alone. Rose motioned for Alice to close the door.

"Finally!" Rose said when the door shut. "Why the hell did you let him stay here last night? Why didn't you stay with me?"

"Because you _told _him to stay," Alice said, smiling. "You insisted that everyone else go home but _he _ had to stay so you could talk to him. I think he even cleared his schedule for you today. Now that's devotion."

"No, Alice," Rose said witheringly, "that's called 'obsessed'. There's a huge difference between the two."

"You should give him a chance. He's a great guy. Did he tell you he works with kids?"

"Really? He hadn't mentioned that." Rose was intrigued. Because she had such a crappy childhood, she always wanted children to prove to herself that not every childhood had to be that way. Since her epic fallout with Royce, she had given up on the thought of getting into a relationship serious enough to even get to the marriage point, much less the procreation point.

Emmett came back into the room, followed by Jasper. The room felt suffocatingly crowded and hot. Rose realized that she was sweating and hadn't brushed her hair or teeth, much less showered. Her normally smooth teeth had a fuzzy coating and she wrinkled her nose. _Gross._ She'd had to get cleaned up; she felt awful, and she could only imagine how she looked.

"I know you all just got here, but I really need to shower. I feel like crap." She took the Motrin from Emmett and swallowed them without water.

"Sorry, Rose, you can't get those stitches wet." Emmett didn't sound sorry at all. "If you want, I can give you a sponge bath though." Alice and Jasper snickered. Rose glared at them, making them laugh harder.

"You two are hopeless." Rose turned her attention back to Emmett. The thought of him giving her a sponge bath sent tingles down her spine. She pictured his huge hands running through her hair, massaging her back, caressing her everywhere she desperately needed him. "No, I don't want your sponge bath," she forced herself to say. She hoped she sounded convincing. "When do I get out of here?"

"I think you get out this afternoon. Why, do you have a hot date?" Emmett's teasing was relentless.

"You are impossible!"

"That's what she said."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"You don't make sense."

"_Get out!_" Rose shouted. Grinning, Emmett scooted out of the room. Alice and Jasper were gasping for breath on the couch, laughing and rolling around like gimpy seals. "Are you quite finished?"

"Please tell me you're going to date him. Please." Alice's laughter slowed and she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"No. He _stalked me, _Alice. He's creepy and weird and makes bad jokes that aren't even funny."

"I thought they were funny."

"Then maybe you can date him. Right now though, I'm not dating anyone. Right now, I'm going to call the nurse in, and we're going to figure out how to wash the car accident smell out of my hair."

"At least think about it. He's great for you." Alice hugged her and left, chasing down Emmett. Jasper lingered, looking nervous.

"Jaz, what's wrong?" Rose asked.

"What do you think about Alice?"

"What do you mean? She's my best friend, I'd do anything for her, why? Did something happen?" Rose was worried. She never thought that anything could happen to her Alice. She was such a strong little person, nothing ever phased her.

"No, nothing yet. I was just thinking," Jasper began, looking nervous. "Do you think she would marry me?"

"That's what you're worried about? Of course she will, Jasper! And how perfect would that be? When are you going to ask her?"

"Soon. I have to plan it out. I just asked Carlisle and he approves, so now it's just a matter of planning."

"Just let me know if I can help. But right now, I really need that shower." She gave her brother a quick kiss on the cheek, and he left to find his future fiancee. Rose hit the call button and waited.

_Wow, my little brother is growing up. _Jasper was only her little brother by twenty minutes, but it counted during childhood and it counted now. _I can't believe _I'm _going to be the old maid. _

Before Rose could dwell on that, the new nurse with bright red hair came in to help her clean up. Rose was thankful for the distraction. She hated thinking about how jaded she had become.

He entered her apartment without trouble. Whoever dropped off her bags had forgotten to lock the door, so the lock picks he brought along were unnecessary. He closed the door, locked it, and stood in the hallway, taking in Rosalie's scent. He walked into the kitchen, opening drawers and cabinets, looking for clues to Rosalie's inner workings.

He spotted the suitcases in the living room and went to investigate. The first bag he opened contained shirts and shorts, all neatly folded and stacked in rows. He loved how she stacked everything by color; it showed she had an eye for detail. Closing that suitcase, he moved on to a small duffel bag. He unzipped it and found exactly what he was looking for. Rosalie's laptop and trip itinerary were on top, waiting for him. He pulled them out, copied down the itinerary into his phone's notes section, and began browsing on her computer.

It must have been months since she had cleared her browser history; he found many things that were useful. What she ate, what she bought, her preferences in men, it was all here for the taking. He found her blog particularly interesting, so he forwarded himself the link.

Satisfied with the spoils of his hunt, he closed the laptop and put everything back in the bag. He decided he couldn't leave without seeing where she slept, so he walked through the small apartment looking for the bedroom door.

_There it is, _he thought when he saw the queen sized bed draped with sheets in various shades of blue and brown. _This is where my Rosalie sleeps. _He ran his fingers across the comforter. On a whim, he jumped and planted himself face-down across the bed. He inhaled deeply, trying to memorize Rose's smell. The bed was so comfortable, the pillows so soft and soothing, he lost track of time and drifted off to sleep.

He was awoken by the sound of loud bickering and a door being unlocked.

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***sigh* Oh Emmett, how we love you... Reviews get Previews ;)**

**And if you haven't checked it out already, go read "Let's Get Physical" by Lalina. In fact, spend the next week and read EVERYTHING she's written!  
**


	6. So Close

**Author's notes: Sorry for the wait, folks! I wanted this one betad before I posted it :D Big thank to Twimarti and Anythingzombie, you and your commas rock!**

**I don't own the characters blahblahblah**

* * *

"Dammit, Emmett, I don't need your help!" Rose smacked Emmett as he tried to help her into the wheelchair. Rose resented having to be pushed around the hospital when she was perfectly capable of walking. "Don't you have patients to deal with or something?"

"You are the only patient I'm worried about right now, and we need to get you to imaging to check on that concussion. So sit down, madam, and enjoy the ride."

Rose huffed as she plopped in the seat. She wished she hadn't sent Alice to the apartment for fresh clothes; she wanted someone to talk to. Someone _other _than Dr. McStalker, who thought he was the funniest thing since junior high. _I bet he laughs at Laffy Taffy jokes._

The CT was quick and painless. When it was over, Emmett wheeled her back to her room and helped her into bed. He brought her fresh water and two little packages of graham crackers. He sat on the edge of her bed, taking up every spare inch of space. Rose thought about moving a little to give him more room, but decided against it. She was becoming used to being close to him, at least in proximity, though her breath still caught in her throat when he actually touched her.

"Do you need anything else? I'm going to do rounds really quick, but I'll bring back a late lunch if that's okay. Alice said you really like Chinese food. Do you want that, or should I just surprise you?" Emmett was babbling, but Rose kind of liked it. He acted confident and full of himself when other people were around, but when it was just the two of them, he turned into a nervous puddle of jello. His little jokes were a way of dealing with his stress. _I could probably deal with that long-term._

"Chinese is great," Rose assured him. She remembered her tough-guy act, so she added, "But don't plan on hanging around too much. You're not _that _cute."

"HA! You think I'm cute!"

"Ugh! Don't you have work to do? Don't make me call the cops." Rose reached for the phone and made dialing motions.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Get some rest, beautiful." Emmett leaned in as though he was going to kiss her, but pulled back and sighed. "Quack."

Rose forced her arms to stay put, forced her hands not to touch his rough but perfect jaw line. She looked away until Emmett was safely out of the room, then she pounded on her pillow with her good arm. She hated herself for pushing away such a great man, and what a great man he was. He thought he was being sweet with the notes and the half-dead flowers. _There's no telling how long those petals had been sitting there anyway. Maybe they had just gotten lack overnight, and it wasn't really creepy at all. _

Panicked, he was frozen and didn't know what to do. He checked the time on his phone. He had been passed out for a little over an hour. He was supposed to get a call if Rosalie was released early, so no one should be in the apartment yet. He began assessing his options for escape.

He spotted the fire escape out the window. Moving slowly, he listened as the voices in the living room continued to argue. They didn't grow closer, so he knew he had a little bit of time. He carefully wiggled the locks open on the window and pushed up. It didn't budge. He looked for another lock or special latch he may have missed but found nothing. He tried pushing harder and the window gave with a gentle creak. He stopped to see if the window's noise gave him away. The people were still talking, unaware of his presence. Relieved, he pushed again, but this time the window flew open with a crash.

_Fuck._

He kicked out the screen and jumped down the fire escape, climbing down to the street and making a run for it.

By the time Alice and Jasper got to the window, they could only see the top of his gray hoodie running to the busy street. Alice looked at the bed.

"Ew! He drooled on the bed!"

"You _hope _that's drool anyway."

"You sound just like your sister! This is so not funny, Jasper. I'd better call her. She's going to be so pissed."

Rose was trying to convince herself that the stalker thing had been blown out of proportion by her overactive imagination when Alice called. Rose fumbled with the awkwardly large room phone, trying to answer it with her cast hand, and finally got it to work.

"I know you're in the hospital, and there's nothing you can really do,"Alice said, talking a mile a minute without even a greeting, "but there was someone in your apartment."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

Alice explained the scene at the apartment, right down to the drool on the bed. Rose felt violated and had an urge to burn the entire bed set after hearing that. The apartment wasn't too far off her list either, but she was fairly certain she would get caught setting a building on fire, no matter how controlled the burn was.

"Rose, I really think you should talk to Chief Swan about this, and the car." Alice was insistent. "I'll even call him and have him see you at the hospital."

"I don't know, Alice. Did the guy break anything or take anything?"

"No, I don't think so. It's like he just came in to lay in your bed."

"Nasty. I think I'd feel better if he _had _taken something." Rose sighed deeply. She really didn't want to involve the police, but it was out of control. She didn't have a choice. "Call Charlie and have him come down. Call Jacob, too, and tell him to come over at some point so I can pick out a new ride."

"Sure will, sweetie. Get some rest."

Rose untangled herself from the phone cord and put it on the nightstand. She pushed the nurse call button. The voluptuous, but somewhat snotty, redheaded nurse was back. Her blue scrubs were too low cut to be tasteful and her pants were so tight Rose could tell she wasn't wearing underwear. She gave off a "trying too hard" vibe that Rosalie could only tolerate for short periods of time before wanting to stab herself in the face with scissors.

"What can I get you?" She looked more than a little annoyed at Rose.

"I was just wondering when Dr. Cullen would be in so I could be discharged."

"He'll be here around two. Is there anything _important _you need?"

"No, you can go back to picking your nose and gossiping now, thanks." The nurse shot her a dirty look and left. Rose knew that she had been a little bitchy to the nurse, but no more than what the nurse had been to her.

Rose was sitting alone, bored out of her mind. She was tired of being lonely and bored, but didn't know how to fix it. It's all she knew, and while she certainly wasn't old, her life wasn't exactly sheltered. Failure, abuse, and dysfunction seemed to be the common theme in her relationships, even in high school. She sighed. "They" said she only had two more good baby-making years left before she became high risk, and it looked like that door was closing forever. She punched the pillow; it didn't help. Her anger and resentment bothered her.

Thankfully, Alice showed up with fresh clothes and things from Rose's toiletry bag, providing a positive distraction. Alice waited while Rose put on real clothes and makeup. When Rose was done, she sat in the chair with her leg elevated and let Alice play with her hair. The girls talked and wasted time until Chief Swan knocked gently on the door.

Rose's nearly-good mood turned sour. She sat on the bed so Chief Swan had a place to sit and take her statement. She told him about everything she could think of; the note in her wallet, Emmett confessing that he was sending her flowers, quitting her job, even about kicking that poor Mike Newton kid's ass.

"So you mean to tell me," Chief Swan said, "that in the course of a week, you've been stalked by three guys?"

"Well, I don't think the Mike kid meant to find me. He seemed very surprised to see me there and not Ben." Chief Swan nodded and scribbled in his notepad.

"What about this Dr. McCarty guy? Could he have been the one in your apartment?"

"Oh, no, that's-" Rose stopped. "Impossible?" She looked at Alice, who was standing in the corner, arms crossed, and looking anxious.

"I think I would have noticed if the guy was a giant running down the alley." Rose was relieved. Alice seemed confident. The timing of Emmett's absence and the other stalker was off, but she couldn't be too sure with everything that had gone on.

"Just covering all the bases. This James guy, did you catch his last name at all? Any other details about him?"

Rose shook her head. "Just what I told you: he was the epitome of the average looking jerk, and it was dim in the club."

"And your ex?"

"Psh, I'm not worried about him."

"I'll send some guys around to check on him anyway. It's pretty much all we have at this point. I'll write up the report for your insurance company and make sure Jake gets you in a good car. He owes me after the stunt he pulled at the wedding." The Chief smiled briefly but quickly became serious. "I'll be in touch, Rosalie. In the mean time, I want you staying away from your apartment. Can you stay with Alice or your parents for a few nights?"

"I'm sure I can sort something out."

"Well, then," he said as he stood, "that's all I need for now. I'll call you with updates."

"Thanks, Chief."

Chief Swan said his good-byes and left. Alice joined Rose on the bed.

"Don't you feel better now? Charlie's going to take care of it. We'll find this guy, you'll get another job, and things will go back to normal."

"Yes, actually, I do feel better," Rose said honestly. Knowing the police were involved was a huge weight off her shoulders. "But tell me something. What on Earth happened at the wedding?"

Alice burst into giggles and nearly fell off the bed.

"Was it that bad?"

"I'll have to show you the video. It was awful, but so funny. Good times." Alice wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry I missed it," Rose mumbled, scowling. She still couldn't believe she was left out of such a huge event.

"No one wanted to upset you, honey. Not after what happened between you and Bella. She's still pretty hurt over the things you said." Alice looked at the floor. She hadn't been there, but the stories from all sides were vivid enough to paint an ugly picture.

Things between her and Royce were on the rocks, and he had hit her yet again. She ran to her parents' house to give him a chance cool off, telling her folks that he needed quiet time for a conference call. Edward and Bella were already there for dinner. Edward said something that was meant to be a compliment, but it came out horribly wrong and Bella took off, crying. Everyone looked expectantly at Rose, wanting her to follow Bella and maybe bond with her. Rolling her eyes, Rose went out to the balcony where she found Bella crying her eyes out.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Rose was trying to be as gentle as possible.

"It's Edward!" she exclaimed. "He's such a pig! He always makes those horrible comments and he treats me like shit and he's self centered. I don't even think he loves me, he just uses me for sex and show!" She began sobbing again.

Rose just stood there dumbfounded. Here she was, escaping a "boyfriend" who beats the shit out of her, and this little girl is complaining? Something inside of her just snapped.

"Bella," Rose began sweetly,"it's time for you to get a fucking grip!" She shouted the last part of her sentence. Bella cringed and backed up against the railing.

"Edward bends over backwards for your sorry, whiny ass and what does he get? A bitchy little girl who stomps off and cries any time he doesn't say something perfectly. Grow the fuck UP, Bella! That man in there is ten times what you deserve! You know what MY boyfriend and I do? He hits me when he doesn't like something I've done. That's right. Today he almost put me through a wall because the mail clerk stopped to talk to me for too long, and no one talks to Royce King's girlfriend like that." Rose paced the balcony, emphasizing her words with her hands.

"So be grateful, Bella, that Edward puts up with your bullshit. It could be so much worse. You don't even know the definition of pig yet, but I hope my brother ditches you just so you can find out. Maybe then you'll realize how good you fucking had it."

Rose went inside, slamming the door behind her. She was surprised to see her family waiting for her. Carlisle and Esme looked stunned, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Edward was livid. He had his arms at his sides, hands clenched. Seeing his fists riled Rose up even more.

"What?" she asked, louder than she intended. Edward glared at her.

"Go out there and apologize to Bella this instant." His voice was low, but commanding.

"Fuck no. You deserve better than that, Edward. Her 'Woe is Me' act is old, I'm sick of watching her manipulate you like this. I have no respect for you anymore; you're just as pathetic as she is."

"Just because you let your boyfriend smack you around and you're miserable because of it, doesn't mean you have to make everyone around you miserable, too!" They were screaming at each other. Esme cut in.

"You," she said, pointing to Edward, "get your ass outside and make good with your girlfriend. And you," -she glared at Rose- "YOU can come with me."

The memory made Rosalie feel sick to her stomach. _No wonder I wasn't invited to the wedding, _she thought grimly. She picked at her cast, her memories eating away at her. Alice gathered her purse and was about to walk out the door when Rose couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Alice, if you and Jasper get married, you'll invite me to the wedding, right?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't look at Alice. She kept picking at her cast.

"Of course! Why would you even ask something like that?" Rose gave her a knowing look. "Oh. Well, you're my best friend AND you'd be my sister-in-law, so you would have to come. I'd expect you to be my Maid of Honor."

"That's sweet, Alice. Thanks."

"No probs, babe. I'm getting out of here; Emmett should be here any minute and I wouldn't want to interrupt your alone time." Alice winked at her. Rose rolled her eyes.

Alone again, Rose picked up a book of crossword puzzles that the hospital so generously provided and started flipping through it. She settled on one she liked and got to work. Crossword puzzles made her happy, peaceful. The boxes only ever needed one answer, everything fit together perfectly into their neat little places, and they were a one person activity, which was essential when you were constantly alone at night.

Somewhere between five down and four across, Rosalie drifted to sleep.

"Rosalie? Rosalie, wake up, sweetie." Carlisle gently rocked her awake. She sat up and gave him a big hug.

"Hey, Dad. How am I doing? Do I get to go home yet?"

"You are perfect. Everything looks great; your CT came back clean, your leg is looking good, and the wrist bone should heal up in the next month or so."

"A month? Can I just wear a brace or something instead of this huge cast? I want to go on my road trip." Rose was whining. She knew it was unattractive, but she also knew it worked when Carlisle was involved. She learned the trick from Alice when they were younger and it stayed through the years.

"I'll talk to the orthopedic doc and get his opinion." The smile left Carlisle's face. "Honey, why didn't you tell us about this? We could have helped. You don't have to be so strong, you know. Having family doesn't make you weak."

Rose didn't know what to say, so she just shrugged.

"Figure it out, kiddo. Your mother would never forgive herself if something happened to you. Neither would I. We love you."

"I love you guys, too."

"Good. I'll sign your discharge papers and we'll get you the heck out of here. Are you just going to stay with Alice?"

"I was hoping I could stay with you and Mom. Jasper's in town, and I don't want to intrude on their time together."

"Didn't you get our email? The entire house is being re-tiled. Your mom is shopping in New York, so I'm just staying here at the hospital this week."

"You can stay with me!" Emmett came in carrying two bags filled with take-out boxes, and was happy to offer his housing services. He was out of breath and looked like he had been running. He smiled and raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her reply.

"Yeah, right!" Rose scoffed at his latest attempt to get in her pants. "You'd like that too much!"

"No, really. I have a guest room, I'm close to the hospital, and you won't be in anyone's way because I'll be at work. Besides, your stalker will probably look for you at Alice's next, right?"

Not sure where this was going, Rose nodded warily.

"Then why not go home with someone he doesn't expect?"

"The boy has a point, Rose." Carlisle stood and put a hand on Emmett's shoulder.

"Fine," Rose gave in. She secretly loved the idea of going home with Emmett; he made her feel safe. There was no way she would give him the satisfaction of knowing that though. She didn't want to admit her feelings for him to herself, much less him.

Once everything was settled, Carlisle left to finish his rounds. Emmett unloaded the bags of food and handed Rose a spork.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I just got a bunch of my favorites." He made her a plate piled high with everything he picked out. Rose knew she couldn't eat that much food. She was pretty sure no human could. There was a deceiving amount of food in those boxes, and Emmett kept scooping it out.

"How about you keep that one and I make my own plate? Not everyone eats like a football team." She grabbed the other flimsy plate and loaded it down with rice and veggies before putting a thick layer of cashew chicken over it. They ate quietly. Rose wasn't sure if Emmett was uncomfortable or just really focused on his food. Rose finished her plate and was stuffed whereas Emmett went back for seconds and thirds. He ate neatly for as fast as he was, and Rose suddenly laughed when she remembered an article she read that correlated a man's table manners to his attentiveness in bed.

"Share with the class?" Emmett raised an eyebrow at her.

"Nothing, just remembered something I had read the other day. Finish eating so we can eat the fortune cookies."

Emmett scooped the rest of his fried rice into his mouth and swallowed without chewing. Rose found herself to be both appalled and impressed. He picked up their plates and put the empty containers in the trash. Rose handed him a cookie. They unwrapped them at the same time, cracked them open, and Emmett started to read his fortune.

"What are you doing? You have to eat the cookie first or your fortune won't come true!" Rose placed hers face down and started eating. Emmett looked at her like she was crazy, but did the same.

"So what did you get?"

"It says, 'A beautiful blonde woman will follow you home and become your soul mate.' What does yours say?" Emmett looked up at her innocently. Rose looked at him skeptically.

"_Riiiiight_. Mine says 'You will kick an arrogant man in the balls tonight.'" Rose smiled at him, waiting for him to make the next move.

"I'd hate to be that poor bastard." He grinned. "Seriously, what does it say?"

"It says, 'Open your eyes to new beginnings.' Lame."

"Mine says, 'You will soon find what you seek.' Not so lame; I already found her!" He winked at Rose, and she giggled in spite of her no-falling-in-love rule.

"You have to be the biggest dork in the world, I swear."

"You know you like it. It's cute and charming," he said, bringing his chair closer to the bed. "And I've been told my dimples are adorable." He pointed them out, leaning toward her. She took in his face, once again stopping herself from touching him.

Taking matters into his own hands, he reached over and picked up her hand, placing it onto his cheek directly over one of his dimples. His eyes searched hers, looking for some hint of resistance, but found none.

Rose leaned closer to him, taking in every detail of the moment. His huge, soft hand pressed hers to his face. He was already sporting a five o'clock shadow that Rose found incredibly sexy. He had a little dent in his nose that she hadn't noticed before, probably because she was trying so hard _not _to notice little things about him. His lips were parted slightly, and Rose wanted so badly to kiss him, just as a way to say thank you for taking such good care of her. She leaned in to go for the kiss she so desperately wanted. Emmett responded, removing her hand and reaching for her.

"Excuse me!" The bitchy redhead tapped her foot on the floor, holding discharge papers. "If you two are quite done, you can go get a cheaper room and not lean on the call button."

"My apologies, Victoria," Emmett said, trying to be professional. "You may go." Victoria rolled her eyes and left, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, that probably should never happen again. Ever." Rose came back to her senses and regretted her almost-kiss.

"Let's just get you home. Then we'll worry about how far we go from there."

Rose found all her small, personal things and put them in her purse. Emmett tossed her bag over his shoulder. "What did your sister pack in here, your entire wardrobe? I hope we aren't stopped by security; I have no idea what's in this thing. 'No, officer, I didn't pack this bag myself.'"

"You are such a nerd. Can we go now?" Emmett's goofiness was entertaining, but he didn't need to be encouraged. Rose felt herself becoming attached to him, but didn't know how to process the feelings.

Emmett held out his arm and Rose took it, protesting but truly not minding the special treatment. They walked through the hallways, and by the time they reached the main floor lobby, Rose was glad for Emmett's help. The pain in her leg had grown; she leaned heavily on him for support. He walked her to a bench and helped her sit, then placed the bag next to her.

"Stay here, I'll come back and get you, okay?" Rose nodded. Emmett worked his way through the old people that crowded the doors and disappeared.

_I have to let my walls down. He is sweet, funny, smart, drop dead gorgeous, and he obvious likes me. It's time to get over it, Rose. It's time to move on. You have__ to do this. _She accepted that she might get hurt. The prospect scared her, but not as much as being alone for the rest of her life. Soon, she wouldn't have Alice to lean on, and as much as she hated to admit it, Rose needed someone. _And a tall, dark, and handsome someone isn't half bad._

"Miss Hale?" A voice intruded on her thoughts. She looked up to see the red headed, slutty nurse, standing over her.

"Yes?"

"You left this in your room." Victoria handed Rose a small envelope, then sauntered off, shaking her hips just enough to get the attention of every male she passed. Rose rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the envelope.

Her stomach turned when she read the short, typed note.

_**You may think you're safe with your little doctor, but you're not.**_

_**I'm still watching, Rosalie.**_

_**You will be mine.**_

She shoved the note back into the envelope. She didn't know what to do; Emmett's place was no safer than hers now. She didn't know of anyone else who could possibly know where she was staying, other than Charlie. She hadn't even called Alice yet. The thought of Charlie handing out information to her stalker unnerved her, but she doubted it was him, unless he did it unintentionally. The stalker was getting too close; Rose knew that she had to run. She pieced together a plan quickly before Emmett returned. As he came into view, she felt a pang of guilt mixed with a hint of lust. She didn't like what was going to happen, but she had no choice.

"Did you give it to her?" He was impatient, tapping a pen on the counter to the nurses' station.

"Yes," Victoria replied, "she has the freaking note. Happy?"

"Was she scared?"

"She looked more irritated than scared, but I didn't watch her open it. How much do you expect me to care about this anyway?"

He clenched his entire body to keep from smacking her. He had given her specific instructions, and she failed to follow them yet again. _Good help is so hard to find. _

"Did you at least get the doctor's address?"

"Yup. Here." She handed him a printout of Emmett McCarty's employee profile. He scanned it and stuffed it into his pocket. His elbow popped loudly mid-motion and he cursed through the pain.

"Do you want someone to take a look at that?" Victoria's face was somewhere between revolted and concerned.

"I'll be fine. Call me when you get off your shift and I'll show you how fine I am." He rubbed against her but she pushed him away.

"Just go. Hunt your little side project. Just remember who you come home to, Jay."

He gave her a sinister smile. "Of course, my dear, of course."

* * *

**We're getting there, peoples! Sucks that two guys in the story could be nicknamed Jay, though**, **amiright?**


	7. No Promises

**Author's Notes- Jumped the gun! Here's the beautifully betad version. A big thank you to Twimarti and Tiffanyanne3 for their help with tricky bits! **

**As always, I don't own them, but I 3 them!  
**

* * *

Rosalie climbed into the cab, taking care not to bump her injured leg. Once she was safely inside, Emmett closed the door and got in on the other side. Rose scooted to the door, putting as much distance between herself and Emmett as she could. She stared out the window as they drove to avoid looking at him. They stopped at every light on the way, and even though it was supposed to be a short trip, Rose thought it would never end. She stole a peek at Emmett just as he was looking at her. They both whipped their heads back, then looked again. Rose looked away again and tried to hide her smile. Emmett laughed, leaned across the seat, and took her chin in his hand, gently turning her head to face him. She didn't fight him. Her heart pounded as they edged closer.

Suddenly, they were thrown forward and hit the plexiglass partition in the middle of the cab. The driver cursed loudly at the SUV that had cut him off, then turned and apologized to the couple in the backseat. Rose winced as she pushed herself back up onto the seat. Her leg throbbed with pain. Emmett hovered next to her, expecting to pick up where they left off, but she pushed him away, shaking her head, just as the cab stopped. Emmett opened his door then got her bag out of the trunk. Rose decided not to wait for him to open her door. As she stood, she stumbled, but Emmett grabbed her before she hit the sidewalk. He pulled her to her feet, then left her standing there so he could pay the driver.

Rose gazed at the building. It wasn't what she expected, though she wasn't sure _what _she expected from Emmett. About twenty stories high, each floor had private balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows. They were just across from Grant Park, and Rose was certain that once inside, they would have a great view of the lake. _This sure beats my little hole in the wall downtown. _She turned back to see what was holding Emmett up. He was on his cell and looked irritated. He saw her and gave her a little smile, rolling his eyes at the phone. The pain in her leg persisted, so she dug around in her purse for the pain pills Carlisle prescribed her. She fought with the bottle, dry-swallowed two pills, and hoped they would kick in soon.

By the time she put the bottle back into her bag, Emmett was off the phone and at her side. He held out his arm again, and Rose took it. She didn't bother trying to hide her smile; she was going to enjoy Emmett's attention while it lasted. She didn't care about what was going to happen the next day, or the day after that; she just wanted to get through tonight.

The doorman greeted them, raising an eyebrow at Emmett. Emmett just grinned back, completely unable to mask his feelings. He pulled Rose closer so they would fit through the door together, but once through, Rose didn't separate from him. She knew he noticed. He hit the elevator button. They rode silently to his floor, not wanting to break the closeness that Rose was certain he felt, too. When they were getting off the elevator, Rose decided to be slightly more bold than usual, so she slipped under Emmett's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, lacing her fingers through his. Emmett was shocked, but his surprise turned to satisfaction quickly. Rose realized that she had just boosted his ego to monumental heights, and felt a little guilty. She suppressed the guilt and leaned on him a little more. She told herself it was because her leg was hurting, but she knew that she was falling for him.

Emmett unlocked his door and led Rose inside. The first thing she saw was the view, and it was absolutely stunning. Rose stood in awe, watching the sail boats, families on the shore, people in the park; the weather was perfect. Rose tore herself away from the windows to see the actual condo. She was quite impressed; it didn't look like a bachelor's pad in the least. Everything was decorated in different shades of gray, and made a great contrast against the white walls. The small sofa and chair were dark charcoal, the square area rug was light, almost silver, and the end tables were glass-topped stainless steel. The fireplace mantle held a few framed degrees and a picture of a motorcycle. She wandered over to his bookcase and found that it was filled with medical texts and suspense novels. She smiled when she saw that they shared a favorite author. She turned to find the kitchen, but Emmett was right behind her.

"How about you sit down and put your leg up before you bleed all over my carpet?" He pointed to Rose's shin. Large areas of red had formed on her bandage. Emmett helped her to the couch and dragged one of the end tables over. He placed her foot on it delicately, then went to grab his first aid kit. Rose settled into the couch. It was softer than it looked, but not uncomfortably so. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She felt drowsy and dizzy from the Vicodin, but fought sleep. She heard Emmett's lumbering footsteps behind her and tried to open her eyes.

"Just relax; I'll take care of you." Emmett voice flowed over her, and she felt warm and safe. Emmett put gloves on and took the bandage off her wound, tossing it into a plastic bag. He put a towel under her calf and began gently washing the skin around the stitches. Rose hadn't had a chance to actually see the cut before, so she mustered up the courage to look at it. A jagged line about seven inches long stretched down her shin, just to the side of the bone. She wrinkled her nose. _That better not scar or I'll be pissed. _She looked up at Emmett. He concentrated on his work, checking to see that all of her stitches were still in place. He found two of the seven had popped out from the cab incident.

"I don't have the stuff to sew you up here, but I do have something that should help. If I use this stuff though, you have to be really careful for the next twelve hours or so." He pulled Dermabond out of his kit. He applied it and bandaged her back up. "Good as new."

"Thanks. You did a great job."

"That's what _she _said." Emmett stood and winked at Rose. He was grinning ear to ear. Rose rolled her eyes and rested her head back on the couch, closing her eyes. She felt the couch shift as Emmett sat next to her, but a little too far away for Rose's liking. She smiled and faked a yawn so she could stretch her arms and run her hand through his hair. Emmett feigned disinterest. "So do you want to watch a movie or play a board game or something? I have Scattergories." He picked up the TV remote and handed it to her. She took it and smacked him on the arm with it.

"You are the biggest goofball."

"What?" Emmett played innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Rose decided that she could play his game too, and probably better than he could.

"If that's the case, never mind." She picked up the remote and turned the TV on, ignoring Emmett. She surfed around before settling on the History Channel. She had no idea what was on, but pretended to be interested. Emmett inched closer to her, trying to be sneaky. Too impatient to wait on him, Rose decided to scoot closer to him. She wrapped his arm around her then put her head on his chest. She felt _happy_, which was something she wasn't familiar with anymore. She nestled into him a little more, getting comfortable. She closed her eyes and listened to Emmett's slow, deep breaths. Sleep finally won.

"_You smell really good. Like Tide and an engine room. And cookies."_

"_Thanks. I think."_

Rose slowly opened her eyes. Somehow, she had ended up in her favorite pajamas in an unfamiliar bed. She sat up to get a better look around the room. Much like the living room, this room was decorated in shades of a single color, this time blue. The bedding was pin striped in a dozen different blues, from navy to baby. The dresser and bed frame had a blue tinted stain on the wood. Navy blue blackout curtains hung over the window. Rose noticed that even the lamp that had been left on next to the bed had a blue shade. Rose smiled. _Finally find a great guy and he's obsessive-compulsive. I guess it could be worse._

Rejuvenated from her nap, Rose got out of the bed and stretched. When she flexed her calf, most of the pain was gone, even when she put most of her weight on it. She straightened the sheets and smoothed the comforter out. She searched for her bag and found it, empty, at the foot of the bed. She opened the dresser drawers and saw that someone had put her clothes away exactly as she had them at her place. She pulled out a pair of socks and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on while pondering the possibilities. _Maybe I unpacked in my sleep? But why would I do that when I know I'm not going to stay? Did he do it? He couldn't possibly know how I keep things in my dresser, though. Unless he's been in my room. _Rose frowned at that thought. She knew it was impossible for him to have been at her place earlier that day, but that didn't mean he had never been there before. She rolled her eyes at her paranoia. _I can't wait for this to be over. I'm tired of being jumpy. _She turned off the lamp and walked into the hallway.

She immediately ran into something fleshy, hard, and wet. When her eyes adjusted to the bright light of the hall, she realized she was face to face with the broad, muscled chest of Emmett. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was still soaking wet. Rose let her attention trail from his waist, to his chest, to his shoulders and arms. _Da Vinci be damned, _this_ is the _Vitruvian Man.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he teased. She looked up to his face. He had on one of his trademark ear to ear grins and looked so damned sexy. Instead of biting back with a sarcastic remark, she just giggled. Her reaction surprised him. They stood there in a stalemate, waiting for the other one to make a move. Rose decided she wasn't going to play that game.

She shoved Emmett against the wall, then leaned into him. He lifted her in his arms, boosting her up, and she wound her legs around him. She grabbed a handful of his delicious brown curls, careful not to hit him with her cast, and pulled his face towards hers. His breathing was heavy; he squeezed her thighs, a silent plea for her to continue. She smiled and leaned forward.

"Oh, good grief, Emmett! I thought you were going to check on her, not have your way with her in the hallway!" Alice stood in the entrance to the living room, hands on her hips, admonishing them. Rose had never fought with Alice in the past, but at that moment she absolutely hated her.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was in _my _house for some reason," Emmett said, setting Rose down. He kept her between himself and Alice, using her as a human shield. Rose didn't understand why, since Alice was joking and just messing around. The very _impressive_ reason became quite clear, however, when Rose leaned back on him.

"Alice, what are you even doing here?" Rose tried to hide her irritation, but failed.

"Your boyfriend there called me when you fell asleep last night. You were out cold, but I managed to get you into your jammies. I unpacked your clothes for you." Alice raised her eyebrows. "I think I put your stuff in the wrong room though."

"Oh, stop it. Emmett, go get dressed or something." Rose pushed him a little to get him moving.

"Is it a choice? Because I'll take the 'or something', please!"

"You're impossible!"

"You say that a lot, but I think you _liiike_ me."

Rose pushed him harder and he stumbled backwards, grinning like an idiot. He turned and went into his room, singing so off-key Rose couldn't even name the song. Alice grabbed Rose's hand and dragged her out to the kitchen.

Rose was not surprised to see that the kitchen was themed completely in red. She hopped up on a red bar stool that sat at the island while Alice rushed around making breakfast. Alice was chattering about everything and nothing at once. Sometimes, talking to Alice reminded Rose of talking to a five year old. Alice's biggest concern of the day was that Jasper seemed really distant. Rose assured her that he was probably just worried about everything that had taken place. She made a mental note to talk to Jasper as soon as she could to see what his real issue was.

After a few minutes of banter with Alice, Rose felt arms slip around her waist and hold her tight. Emmett leaned down, kissing the top of her head, and she shivered. She swiveled on the stool, burying her face in his freshly donned robe. She knew almost nothing about him, but knew that she was falling for him. She hated herself for it, but thoughts of self-deprecation were pushed aside as Emmett ran his fingers through her hair while he talked to Alice. Rose loved the way his voice sounded through his chest. Alice excused herself to make a quick phone call while the muffins baked, so Rose had Emmett to herself again.

"You smell good..." She inhaled deeply.

"It's not motor oil and cookies, but that's not on the Axe product line yet." Rose jerked back. Emmett had a mischievous gleam in his eye. She blushed, turning back to the island.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale!" Alice's voice sounded muffled; Rose searched for the source. Alice was standing on the balcony, peeking in the window of the kitchen. "Are you _blushing_?" She laughed and Rose flipped her off. Alice ducked back out of view, continuing to talk on her phone.

"So your middle name is Lillian, and you never blush. What else should I know about you?" Emmett leaned on the island.

"I need to take a shower." Rose shifted into bitch mode. _Whatever it takes._

"You still can't take a shower. I'd be more than happy to give you a sponge bath though, or even hold your arm and leg out of the water while you take a regular bath."

"Yeah, right. Maybe I should let you take pictures too?"

"Would you?"

"You're such a pig!" Rose started to walk to the bathroom, but Emmett grabbed her. She tried pulling out of his grasp, but he was strong ...and she didn't really want to get away. He pulled her close and she put her arms around his shoulders.

The oven timer went off, causing Alice to rush in. "Don't mind me! Just making breakfast!" Rose sighed and dropped her arms from their place on Emmett's neck, abandoning any hope that she ever might be able to kiss that man. Even Emmett glared at Alice as she flitted around the kitchen, pretending to ignore them.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Rose grumbled. She glared at Alice on her way out, almost wishing the demented little woman had never made her way over in the first place. Alice glared back, sticking her tongue out. _Evil. She's pure evil._

James sat in his Audi and stared at Emmett's building. He had been there since yesterday afternoon. He had watched Rosalie enter the complex with that overgrown douche McCarty, but they never left. That meant that she was staying with him. In his place. In his bed. James slammed his fists on the steering wheel when he thought about what that animal was doing to _his _Rose. The plan he had so carefully made was coming undone, and he needed to find a way to pull everything back together. He started the car and drove to the florist up the street.

Rose grabbed a pair of jeans and a low cut green t-shirt, picked up her small travel bag, and went into the bathroom to freshen up. She looked in the mirror and was horrified by her hair. A long, dreamless night had turned it into a nightmare. She started working on it, trying to get it to sit just right, but it defied her. She dressed, then braided her hair the best she could with one and a half hands. While she brushed her teeth, Alice started banging on the door.

"Hurry up in there! He's already seen you; no need to go all out!" Rose growled at the door, but knew Alice was right. If Emmett wanted her when she looked like absolute crap, he wouldn't mind a messy braid. She threw open the door, ready to yell at Alice, but Emmett was standing there instead. She closed her mouth and smiled sheepishly.

"Expecting someone else?" Emmett laughed. He had taken the opportunity to put real clothes on too, and he looked amazing. Resisting the urge to jump him, Rose squeezed past him, then tossed her things onto the bed in the guest room. She joined Emmett and Alice in the kitchen. Alice had made enough food for an army, but after seeing Emmett's appetite the day before, Rose wondered if it would be enough. She grabbed a muffin and spooned out some scrambled eggs onto her plate, then sat next to Emmett. He nudged her with his leg, so she nudged him back. She went to take a bite of eggs, and Emmett nudged her hard, causing her to spill the eggs down her shirt. Slowly, she turned her head to glare at him. He had a priceless "Oh Shit!" look on his face. Rose exploded with laughter. Relief flooded Emmett's face and he looked over at Alice.

"Em, I don't know what you've done to her, but keep doing it." Alice loved this happier version of Rose. It had been a long time since anyone outside of family could get her to laugh and smile the way Emmett could.

Rose shook the eggs from her shirt, and the rest of breakfast was uneventful. As they cleaned the dishes, Rose told them her plans for the day.

"I really need to see Jacob today. I need to get another car."

"There's no way you're getting another car yet," Emmett said. "You still don't know who's after you."

"Oh, you mean besides _you_?"

"Don't be like that. I'm not the one who tore up your car."

"That's right. You're the guy who stood by and did nothing while I got in it."

"Whoa," Alice interrupted. "Rose, let's reign in the super-bitch, okay?"

"Who's being bitchy? I'm just being honest." Rose turned her attention back to Emmett. "You don't get to tell me where I can and can't go. You aren't my father, and I never listened to him half the time anyway!"

"Isn't _that _the truth," Alice said. "About listening to Dad I mean," she added hastily.

"So you still want to go on your road trip?" Emmett asked, making it sound like she wanted to beat puppies.

"Of course. One little near death experience isn't going to stop me from having a good time."

"Then I'll come with you."

"No! This is _my _trip."

"You can't go alone, Rose. You need someone to protect you."

"I've been perfectly fine without your 'protection' my entire life. What makes you think I need it now? You'll just get bored and fucking leave me too!" Rose immediately regretted those revealing words. Everyone stood in silence, unsure of what to say or do.

"I'm, uh, going to go see what Jasper's up to," Alice said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Don't have too much fun without me." She grabbed her purse and phone, then scurried to the door. When she opened it, she froze. "Rose, you need to see this."

Rose joined her at the door, followed closely by Emmett. They stared at the presentation in the hall. Black roses, black balloons, and black ribbon were combined to make a heart-shaped arrangement. Black and red metallic confetti was sprinkled on the floor, shining against the gray marble tile. Emmett reached past Rose and took the note hanging from one of the balloons.

_**I told you I'd find you.**_

There was no question in anyone's mind who they were for or from. Rose took a few steps back into the living room and sat on the couch, defeated. Alice sat next to her and sighed.

"I'm going to go have a little chat with security. There's no way anyone should have gotten this close to my door." Emmett was livid. He snatched the balloons and slammed the door. They could hear him stomping down the hall, and Rose felt sorry for whoever was about to be on the receiving end of his fury.

"Maybe I should stay," Alice said.

"No, you should go. Find Jasper, see what he's up to."

"Promise me you'll be good. Emmett is a good guy. He likes you a lot. Give him a chance; stop pushing everyone away." Alice hugged her.

"I'll try. No promises."

Alice sighed. She left, and Rose was finally alone. She waited a minute to see if Alice would change her mind and come back. When she didn't, Rose rushed to the guest room and started throwing her clothes into her bag. She picked it up with her good arm and started her walk to the lobby. She hoped that Emmett was nowhere near the security monitors as she made her exit. Knowing the area well, she made a beeline to the café two blocks away. She called a cab from her cell after ordering a small black coffee.

As she rode past Emmett's building, her chest tightened and her eyes welled with tears. _No going back now__. _

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_**Oh Rose... Stubborn, stubborn Rose. . Reviews gets teasers for Ch 8!**_  
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	8. Runaway

**Author's Note's: This is a rough cut. I just sent it in to be betad, but I wanted you all to have it too!  
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**Song recc for this chapter: Runaway by Pink**

**I don't own the peeps.**

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Emmett pounded on the door to the security office. He had never needed to think about the security of his building before. The doorman only cleared people he knew; everyone else needed to be buzzed in, including deliveries. There was no acceptable reason for this to have happened. He pounded on the door again, harder, not caring if he left a dent or broke the thing down. Finally, a pale man with a nasty disposition answered.

"What?" he snapped. "What is so fucking important?"

"This," Emmett barked, thrusting the balloons at him, "is what's so important. How the hell did these end up outside my door?" He towered over the man, using his size to intimidate him.

"Guy told me it was an inside joke between the two of you. He knew everything about you, I figured you knew him too." Emmett saw that, according to his name tag, his name was Marcus.

"Who was he? Did you check his ID?"

"No," Marcus replied, "I didn't even think to. The doorman sent him straight here at his own request, and he knew so much about you, I didn't bother."

"Do these things record?" Emmett motioned to the monitors on the guard's desk.

"Of course they do."

"Show me the footage around the time the guy came to see you."

"I don't think I can do that without a warrant." Emmett took a step closer to him, balling his fists. Marcus reevaluated his position. "I think I can do it just this once though as long as you don't say anything to anyone." He sat down at his computer and pulled up the morning footage, starting at five o'clock and working his way quickly forward. At six, Alice appeared. Various people from the building left and returned between six and seven, most with pets. Marcus slowed the recording just before eight.

"There. That's him." Emmett saw the outline of a figure on the screen, but he was holding the balloons in front of his face. From every angle, he made sure the balloons were between him and the camera.

"That asshole!" Emmett slammed his fist on the desk, shaking the monitors. "Wait, what's that?" He pointed to the screen closest to him.

"That's the front entrance view from about five minutes ago. Wow, get a load of _that_!" Marcus paused the footage and oogled a tall blonde as she made her way out of the building. Realizing what had happened, Emmett snapped, punching Marcus in the face and knocking him out of his chair. He stormed out of the office and rushed straight to the street. There was no sign of Rose. He pulled out his phone and found her name in his contacts. He called her, but it went straight to voice mail.

He had a good idea of where she was headed. He went up to his floor to grab his keys and helmet, then headed across the street to the parking garage. He was glad he had the foresight to go back to the hospital to pick up his bike while Alice cared for Rose. The engine rumbled, echoing through the garage, and he strapped on his helmet. He took off, determined to find her.

Rosalie located the orthopedic clinic in the hospital and was glad to see that it was empty. She made her way around the front desk and into the treatment areas. After a bit of searching, she found the casting room, isolated in the very back of the clinic. The door was unlocked, so she entered and locked it behind her.

The cast cutter made sawing the cast off easy. It looked like something out of a horror movie, but even when Rose slipped and went too deep, the blade just vibrated against her skin. When she was satisfied with the cut, she grabbed the cast spreader. The cracking the cast made sounded worse than bones breaking. Once it was opened enough, Rose wiggled and slid her hand out. She made a face at the smell. _Only a few days and it smells like this? Nasty! _She threw the cast away and found a brace that fit her well in one of the drawers. She cleaned up the rest of her mess, leaving the room as close to how she found it as possible. She walked to the exit hurriedly, hoping no one would notice her.

"Rose?" A familiar voice called out to her. _So much for not being noticed. _She stopped and turned to face her father.

"Hi, Dad," she said, shifting to hide her now uncasted arm. "What's up?"

"Shouldn't you be at Emmett's? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, yeah, we just stopped by here really quick," Rose lied. "He needed to, uh, check on something. I'm not entirely sure what he's doing, but I need to go find him before he leaves without me." She laughed nervously.

"So he's here with you? That's great, I need to talk to him about one of his patients."

"Dad, we're in a huge hurry."

"It'll only take a second. Let's go find him." Carlisle smiled. Rose faked a smile back. _Well, this couldn't possibly be any worse. _

They wandered the hospital for what seemed like hours to Rose, but was really only five minutes. Suddenly Carlisle's pager went off. He frowned when he read the message.

"Sorry, Rose, looks like you'll have to find him without me. Tell him to give me a call though!"

"Sure thing!" With that, Carlisle jogged off toward the ER. Rose heaved a sigh of relief. She found the cafeteria exit and found her cab. She still had so much to do, and she knew that Emmett would figure out what happened soon.

During the ride, she started thinking about Emmett. Guilt was eating away at her over the way she acted, especially the way she left. _Really though, he was just being nice by offering to come with me. He just thinks I'm pretty, so he tried doing a few things to get my attention, then got in over his head. _She didn't want to burden him with her baggage. He was a great guy, and super sexy to boot, and Rose definitely had a serious case of lust for him; he was too good for her.

Somewhat content with her paper thin rationalization, Rose asked the cab driver to wait for her again so she could grab a few more things. She casually walked inside, praying no one was there. This time, her prayers were answered; the common room was empty. _Everyone's probably still asleep. _She hit the elevator button and waited impatiently. The possibility that Alice and Jasper would see her crossed her mind, but she doubted they would be there. With Jasper acting out of character, Alice would drag him around the city in an attempt to pull him out of his slump. Rose wished her friend would just let things be, but at that moment it played to her advantage.

Rose rode the elevator to her floor, quickly checking the hall both ways before exiting completely. She walked to her door, keys in hand. She entered the apartment, locking the door behind her. The rest of her luggage was still packed and waiting for her, so she didn't have to do much. In lifting the bags, she discovered that she would have to leave the biggest clothing duffel bag behind. _No great loss. _She shouldered the other two bags and left the apartment. She threw the bags into the trunk of the cab and gave the driver the address to Jacob's junkyard.

James was rewarded for his stakeout; not only did he get to watch Rosalie's friend leave, looking worried and upset, Rose herself came running out minutes later, without that tool McCarty. James followed her to a coffee shop, watched her get into a cab, then followed the cab to the hospital and Rose's apartment. He didn't know what she was up to, but watching her squirm was exhilarating. He loved this part of the hunt.

As the cab drove off for the third time, James noticed a motorcycle fly by him between the lanes of traffic. _That crazy asshole's going to get himself killed._

Rose pulled her luggage out of the trunk of the cab, silently cursing the lazy driver for not helping her after she had tipped him so well. Once she had everything on the sidewalk, she slammed the trunk down. The noise caught Seth's attention, and he came running out of the garage barking and snarling. Rose chuckled at him, holding her hand out so he could smell her. Once he caught her scent, he started wagging his tail. She dragged her bags through the gate and up to the office, dropping them by the door, and looked through the window. Jacob was asleep on the couch. Seth marched past her through the dog door. Rose decided to knock.

"Who is it?" Jacob called from the couch, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Jake, it's Rosalie. I bought the car the other day, had it towed here when it was totaled, all that fun stuff."

Jacob bolted upright. "I'll be right there, just give me a second!" He threw off the blanket that had covered his lower half, and Rose watched as he searched the office in his boxers, hunting for his pants. _Now that's not a bad view. He's no Emmett, but is certainly nice to look at. _Jacob found his pants under the couch and danced around trying to put them on while standing. He made eye contact with Rose and flashed her a smile before tripping over Seth and smacking his forehead on the desk.

" Oh my God, are you okay?" Rose tried the door and found that it was unlocked. Jacob looked up at her from the floor, dazed.

"I am now."

Rose rolled her eyes and helped him to the couch. She saw a minifridge in the corner, so she grabbed a soda from it and knelt in front of him, holding it against his head. He took it from her and tilted his head back, letting out a sigh.

"Is that better?" Jacob nodded.

"What the fuck? What the hell's going on?" Emmett burst through the door, yelling at them and looking pissed. Rose wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. _Is he that pissed that I left?_ Emmett clarified his question. "What the hell were you two doing?" Rose looked up at Jacob, then down at his boxers, and his pants around his ankles... She started laughing.

"Really, Emmett? _Really?_" Rose stood, steadying herself on Jacob's knee, which earned her another dirty look from Emmett. "That's adorable. Not only are you a stalker, you're controlling and jealous too?" Emmett cringed.

"I'm sorry. I just thought... I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter. You aren't mine; you can do whatever you want to whoever you want." He gave Jacob a pointed look. "Even if they are barely legal."

"How did you even find me?" Rose asked, ignoring his jab at poor Jacob.

"There were only a few places you would have gone. I went to the hospital first and Carlisle said that you had been looking for me. I knew that wasn't true, so I went to your apartment. I saw you get into a cab, and knew you'd be headed here, but I got caught at a few lights. Apparently I missed the show."

"Grow up. Why are you here? I left without telling you for a reason."

"I know, really shitty of you by the way. I don't want you to do this alone though. I know you _can_, but that doesn't mean you should. I want to help." He gave her big, sad, puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine. I hate driving alone anyway. But you buy your own food; I'm not taking out a loan to feed you." Emmett nearly squealed with joy. Rose raised and eyebrow at him, and he composed himself.

"Yeah, okay, great." He tried to play cool.

"Go back to your place and pack a bag. I'll come by and pick you up once I get a car."

"Promise? Because if you don't pick me up, I'll be forced to put out a missing person's report on you."

"I promise. Now go." She opened the door for him. He kissed her forehead and left, practically skipping to his bike. Rose watched him leave the junkyard, feeling horribly guilty; she hoped he would forgive her one day. She turned to Jacob, who was still sitting on the couch, half dressed.

"Get me a car so I can get the hell out of here."

"You're not really going to pick him up, are you?" It was a statement more than a question.

"No."

James watched the motorcycle take the same path he was taking. He thought it was impossible that they were following the same person, until he saw the bike pull into Jacob's junkyard. When James saw that it was Emmett under the helmet, he almost got out of the car and took him down. _Almost. _When he heard the commotion from inside, he decided to get out and casually walk by, pretending to be on the phone. He overheard bits of the conversation, and was livid when Rose agreed to let Emmett come along.

He had his back to Emmett when he got on his bike and took off for his place. James decided to stay put; Emmett was inconsequential at the moment. He had to think of a way to get to Rosalie alone. James did not like to adjust his plans yet again, but it was necessary. Anything for his Rose.

Once Jacob got dressed, he and Rose walked to the garage. Rose saw a lot of new inventory, all of it extremely flashy. Jacob let her peruse freely without questioning her this time. She passed a few cars that she loved, but they were way out of her price range. She sighed, delicately running her fingers across the hood of a Porsche 911 Turbo. It was beautiful, but retailing at $190,000, it was unattainable. She wandered around more, but kept coming back to the 911. _Screw it, I'll just ask._

"How did you end up with this one, and how far out of my price range is it?" She braced herself for the answers. Jacob grinned with a devilish twinkle in his eye.

"I got that one from Charlie; some drug dealer used it to traffic his goods. I got it at the police auction Saturday. I muscled this other guy out of it, totally scared the crap out of him so I could get this baby." He leaned against a Land Rover crossing his arms and looking smug. "I got it for a steal too."

"How much?" Rose saw a glimmer of hope.

"Eighty grand."

Rose scowled. The glimmer was gone. There was no way in hell she could swing that. No bank would finance her now that she was unemployed. Not that she had time to wait on a bank loan anyway. She felt stupid for even thinking about it. Jacob sensed her frustration.

"Do you _want _this thing? It's a whole lot of car for a chick."

"Really? Because I was just thinking that it's a lot of car for a little boy." She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to respond.

"Seriously, do you want it?"

"Of course I do! But there's no way I could pay you that much for it. Ever."

"You're just going on a vacation, right? If I let you borrow it, will you bring it back to me unscathed?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Under one condition."

Rose rolled her eyes. She could only imagine what his requirement would be. A date? Maid service? _Sex? _Rose shuddered. Not that Jacob wasn't attractive, he just... wasn't enough.

"You have to come work for me when you get back."

"What?"

"I want you to work for me. You know a lot about cars, I need help around here so I can do more work on cars and worry less about the business, and it would be great to have a chi-... _woman _working the public relations end of things. And come on, playing with cool cars all day, what's better than that?"

Rose thought it over. On one hand, she would work long hours with undetermined pay. On the other hand, it was her dream job. She loved cars, and had for as long as she could remember. _Work with cars all day instead of pushing papers? Drive literally the best car I've ever seen? _It was a no-brainer.

"Absolutely." It was Rose's turn to grin. Jacob ran to grab the keys, and Rose eyed her new prize. It was gorgeous. She circled to the driver's side and waited impatiently for Jacob to return. She tried not to think about leaving Emmett behind. Or lying to him. Or how he made her feel. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to force the thoughts out. Jacob startled her when he touched her shoulder.

"You okay?" He was concerned by the tears that had started to trail down Rose's cheeks. She cursed her emotions for betraying her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose replied. "I just hit my arm on the, uh, mirror. It caught me by surprise and hurt really bad." She smiled weakly, hoping Jacob would buy her flimsy excuse. His face relaxed back into his regular smile.

"Good deal then. Here are your keys. It's fully insured, and there's a Triple A card in the glove box. I'll toss your bags in the back for you. Are you sure you're okay to drive?" He gestured towards her wrist.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

"Yeah, I see how much _that's _worth," Jacob mumbled under his breath as his walked away. Ignoring his comment and the sting it left, she slowly opened the door to her new 911. It still had that fresh off the lot smell; Rose found it intoxicating. She sat in the driver's seat and ran her hand along the dash and all the displays. 415 brake horsepower, zero to sixty in 4.2 seconds, maximum speed of 192 miles per hour... Rose was in love. She barely noticed that Jacob had loaded her things into the trunk and was standing at her door. She caressed the steering wheel, stretching her arms out and getting a feel for the seat.

"Do I need to leave you two alone?"

"It's a nice car. I'm just appreciating it."

"If you appreciate it much more, I'm gonna have to get a mop and bucket!"

She responded by starting the car and revving the engine. The sound shook the garage. Jacob pushed the doors open and Rose buckled her seat belt. She eased the car out of the garage. When she was out, she rolled down the darkly tinted window and signaled for Jacob to come over. He bent down, sticking his head in the window.

"You won't tell Emmett, right?"

"Tell him what? That you're leaving without him? I think he'll figure that out without my help."

"Thanks. You're the best."

"That's what they keep telling me." He winked at her. She rolled her eyes and pushed his head out of the car. Jacob opened the gate for her. She put the car into gear and very carefully pulled onto the street.

_Here we go._

As Chicago faded in her rear view mirror, Rose felt relief start to settle in. The silence was soothing; she wasn't the least bit tempted to turn on the radio. It was her and the road, exactly how she planned it days ago. _Well, not exactly, but close. _She smiled, leaning back in the seat and letting the cruise control do half the work. It was perfect.

Emmett paced his kitchen anxiously. He had left the garage an hour ago and Rose still hadn't called or been downstairs. He checked his bag again to make sure he packed everything he wanted. After putting the bag by the door, he sat on the couch and tried to watch TV. He flipped through the channels; nothing looked appealing. Finally, his phone rang.

"Hey! Are you downstairs yet?" Emmett couldn't contain his excitement.

"Uh, no," a man replied. "This is Jake, from the garage."

Emmett's enthusiasm deflated.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Well," Jake said, hesitating, "Rose is probably going to kill me, but she said that she isn't going to pick you up."

"_What?_" Emmett was furious.

"Sorry, dude. Thought I'd give you the heads up. Do you want to follow her?"

"Of course I do! How though? Did she tell you where she was going?"

"No, she didn't tell me; why the hell would she tell _me_?" Jacob scoffed. "I gave her my 911. It's lo-jacked, so I can follow it anywhere. I can send updates to your phone."

"Where is she now?"

"She just left ten minutes ago."

"Great. Keep me updated."

"Sure. And Emmett? Don't let her kill me. Please."

Emmett smiled and hung up. He shoved as much stuff as he could into a back pack then grabbed his helmet. She was _not _going to get away from him that easily.

James watched Rose pull out of the garage in her new ride and was impressed. He thought he knew everything about her, but he didn't know she had money. Lots of money, by the looks of the car. As Rose raced down the block, James waited patiently for Jacob to go back inside before following her. Traffic was surprisingly light, and that made concealing himself difficult.

When Rosalie got on the highway instead of making the turn to get to Emmett's, James was delighted, but confused. She stayed the night at his place, but left without him. She promised to pick him up, but bailed.

_What a bitch. I love her._

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_**We're underway! Go, Rose, Go!**

**Life has been nuts, so I don't have much of 9 done yet, but once I get it wrapped up, reviews WILL be rewarded!**


	9. Finally

**Author's Notes: Great Big thank you to Twimarti and Tiffanyanne3 for being awesome, awesome betas! Hopefully this chapter looks a little better now .  
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Rosalie pulled into a BP just outside of Effingham, about four hours into her journey. After she filled the car with premium, she parked in a spot close to the door. Hungry but not quite ready for a meal, she paced the aisles, searching for something that would be easy to eat while driving and had a low risk of getting crumbs all over the car. She settled on a bag of gummi bears, grabbed a bottle of water, and paid for everything at the counter. The cashier tried to chit chat with her, but she only smiled politely and handed him some money. He gave her the change and she turned to leave, nearly running over a man who stood a little too close to her.. She gave him a funny look and walked around him, shaking her head. Every town has its weirdos. She got back on the highway, digging into her gummis.

Central Illinois was flat and miserable to drive through without a companion, so Rose turned on the radio. All she could find were a few country stations. She flipped it back off and sighed. Only five more hours to Memphis. How bad could it be? She started to count cars, make words out of license plates, make words out of the names of the semi trucks she passed, but her thoughts kept coming back to Emmett. The things he had done for her, the way he made her feel, the things she wanted to do to and with him...

This is going to be a long drive.

Emmett was stuck behind a State Trooper going five miles under the speed limit. He didn't dare pass; the troopers in this state were notorious for pulling over people going even one mile over the limit. So he idled along with a string of cars behind him doing the same thing. Just as he was about to say "Fuck it" and pass anyway, someone flew by in the left lane, going well above the posted 65. Blue lights flashed, and the trooper took off. Emmett could almost hear the sigh of relief from the line as everyone picked up speed. He tightened his grip on the handlebars and pulled ahead of the group.

Once he was on the open road, he was free to concentrate on Rose. He had never been so head over heels for someone and found them so maddening at the same time. He could easily see spending forever with her if she just opened up. That's all he asked. Whatever happened to her in the past would never happen again... not with him anyway. He had to prove it to her, even if it meant following her across the country to do it.

He stopped to stretch his legs in Effingham and called Jacob. He wanted to know how much time he lost while stuck behind the trooper. If Rose was driving that car to its full potential, he figured he may never catch her.

"Hello?" Jacob answered the phone on the first ring.

"Hey, it's Emmett. Where is she?" Emmett got straight to the point, knowing that Jacob wouldn't be offended by the lack of niceties.

"She's just south of Mount Vernon. Where are you?"

"Effingham."

"How are you still in Effingham? She didn't have that great of a head start on you."

"I was stuck behind a Super Trooper. I'll call when I stop again. If something happens, let me know."

"Drive safe, man."

"Thanks."

Emmett hung up and tried calling Rose again, but it went straight to voicem ail. Frustrated, he clipped his phone back onto his shirt collar so he would feel it vibrate if anyone called. Flexing his hands, he put his gloves back on, then flipped the lid down on his helmet. The bike rumbled under him and he rode back onto the highway. Even if he had to get half a dozen tickets, he would catch up to her.

Five very long, very boring hours later, Rose checked into the hotel in Memphis. She spoiled herself and got a king-sized bed, fully planning on spreading out and enjoying the extra room. The concierge asked if she needed help with her bags, but she declined. She went back out to her car and grabbed her overnight bag, then locked the doors. The horn sounded twice, letting her and anyone in a two block radius know that the alarm was on. She rolled her eyes and went back insidel.

The hotel was beautiful. The floor was travertine tile, the walls were white with intricate wainscoting, and heavy red drapes hung on every window. Rose followed the signs to the elevator, passing the pool room with its heavy chlorine smell. She sighed wistfully, seeing the toddlers playing and splashing in the wading area; she wanted to be in there with her baby. I bet Emmett would make a great dad, a little voice inside her head whispered on the way up to her floor. She shushed it and used the key card to open the door.

Rose fell in love with the room instantly. The curtains were open, giving her a clear view of downtown Memphis. She dropped her bag on the bed and flopped down next to it. Perfect. She was barely able to keep herself from dozing off; her stomach growling served as a reminder that she hadn't eaten a true meal since breakfast. Sitting up, she grabbed the room service menu and browsed it. Once she had a good idea of what she wanted, she dialed the number to speak with the intake person. He took Rose's order and told her that it would be about an hour before it would be ready and up to her room. After thanking him, she put the phone in its cradle and tried to decide between taking a nap or a shower. As she undressed for her shower, she saw the big sprawling bed, almost calling out to her. It looked so comfy, so soft, so inviting... She caved and crawled between the sheets, reveling in how cool and fresh they were against her bare skin. She closed her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Emmett in her dreams, and hating herself for it.

Rosalie was trapped in the middle of a busy intersection, desperately looking for a way out. The noise was deafening as drivers blew their horns, brakes screeched, and tired squealed to avoid her. She felt helpless and abandoned, just as she did as a little girl. When she couldn't stand the noise and pressure anymore, she held her breath and ran for the sidewalk. As she stepped into the first lane of traffic, everything froze. Someone behind her whispered.

"You don't have to do this alone."

Rose turned to the voice. The cars disappeared and Emmett stood on a beach, wearing a green linen shirt and khaki shorts. His bare feet dug into the white sand, the grains covering his toes. Waves crashed on the shore behind him, but Rose barely noticed the scenery; she was captivated by the look in his eyes. Something about that look broke down the walls Rose had built, and she felt herself floating toward him. He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips, and then pulled away.

"You have to let me in. Can you do that?" His eyes searched hers for an answer.

"Yes."

He smiled. A breeze blew through, rustling the leaves of the palm trees and causing three coconuts to fall down with a thud, almost like the sound of a knock. Rose looked puzzled, but Emmett just kissed her cheek.

"You have business to attend to." The breeze turned him into sand and blew him across the beach. More coconuts fell from the tree and everything began melting.

Rose was jolted awake by the pounding on her door. As urgent as it sounded, the person on the other side was either waiting quite awhile or was serving a warrant. Rose threw back the covers and plucked a robe off a hanger in the bathroom on the way to the door. She secured the belt around her waist before addressing the person behind the knocking.

"Who is it?" she called out, wishing that the fancy schmancy hotel wouldn't have been so concerned about aesthetics that they left out the peephole.

"Room service, ma'am. May I come in?"

"Oh. Of course." She unlatched the door, taking a peak at the man to make sure he actually had a cart, and let him in. He laid everything out for her on the small desk in the corner. Rose dug through her purse for a tip, feeling quite unprepared; she hadn't intended to sleep the entire hour away. She found her wallet and handed the man his tip. He had just wheeled his cart to the door when there was more knocking. Rose signaled for the man to stay, so he quietly backed up so she could get by him.

"Who is it?" She was much more apprehensive this time than last.

"Rrrrroooom service!" someone with a ridiculously fake accent replied. Who the hell would use a fake accent that obvious? Emmett!

"Room service is in here with me. Try again."

"Landshark."

"What?"

"Flowers!"

"Any time I get flowers, they're always from some stalker who destroys my car or follows me halfway across the country."

"Come on, Rose! I drove from Chicago to Memphis on a motorcycle just to see you. Let me in, please."

Rose yanked open the door. Emmett stood, eyes downcast, holding his helmet in one hand, and his backpack in the other. His hair stuck up in every direction, the result of wearing a helmet for hours on end, and his clothes were soaked from the rain; she felt awful for what she put him through. But he came here. For me. I don't know how or why, but he wants me! Her eyes welled with tears. Emmett looked up. He gave her a small smile that slowly turned into a grin when he saw how happy she was. Rose threw herself into his arms, causing him to stumble.

"You came for me," she said into his chest. "I can't believe you came for me." Emmett laughed, stroking her hair with his free hand. He picked her up and walked her backward into the room.

"Of course I did." He lifted her chin. "Did you really think I'd let you get away that easily? I don't think so, missy." He kissed her lightly on the lips.

Rose was not going to settle for such a chaste expression of affection. She had waited too long and had too many interruptions for that to be enough. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down, crushing her lips to his. His eyes widened with surprise, and he dropped his helmet so he could grab her sides and press himself against her. Rose's mouth parted and she took in his bottom lip, biting down just hard enough to make him moan. Emmett pushed her up to the wall, his hands roaming the curves of her body.

Someone coughed politely. Emmett and Rose looked in the direction of the cough and saw the room service waiter standing with his cart, still in the room and blocked in by the impassioned couple. He looked embarrassed and desperate to leave. Emmett grabbed his helmet, and he and Rose moved out of the way. The man left, muttering under his breath about rude, horny people and no respect. Emmett closed the door and burst into laughter. Rose just rolled her eyes and walked to the desk to check on her food. Emmett came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Rose hid a smile, but couldn't help the contented sigh that escaped. Hearing the sigh made Emmett squeeze her a little tighter. She tried to focus on Emmett, but she really was starving.

"I'd love to keep this going, but the only thing I've had to eat since breakfast is a bag of gummi bears," Rose confessed. "Can we just eat a tiny bit? Then maybe you can tell me what the hell you're doing here."

"Sounds good," Emmett said. "Except for the last part; that doesn't sound fun at all."

Rose handed him the room service menu, silently hoping that they didn't get the same waiter as the last time. Emmett put in an order that Rose wasn't entirely sure would fit on the cart, then they moved their conversation to the bed. They were lying on their sides facing each other, and Emmett started playing with Rose's hair. She found it hard to resist his touch, but she wanted answers to the many questions she had, so she pushed his hand away.

"Spill it, mister," she said sternly. "How'd you find me?" Emmett suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"You have to swear you won't kill anyone when I tell you." Rose rolled her eyes. "Seriously. You can't kill him.."

"I'm not going to kill anyone, Emmett!" She was beginning to get annoyed.

"Jacob gave you that car because it was lo-jacked. He called me to let me know that you left without me,.He followed your car on his computer, and I called him every hour or so to get updates." He waited anxiously for Rose's reaction. She processed what he said and wasn't too happy that Jacob betrayed her trust, but she couldn't get too mad at him for that since she was the one who ditched Emmett in the first place.

"I guess I should thank him." Rose smiled sheepishly. "But it still doesn't explain how you found my room."

"That was easy. I told the front desk that my wife had checked in already but I forgot our room number. Gave them your name, they gave me the room." He was proud of his quick thinking.

"Figures. You would be that presumptuous." She smirked. He just grinned, no hint of remorse on his face. "One more question. Why are you here?" Emmett took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I don't know, Rose. There are a bunch of reasons. I didn't like the idea of you being alone for one." He started tracing the pattern of the comforter. "I didn't want you to get hurt. And...I think I love you." He said the last part so softly that Rose wasn't sure she heard him right. She didn't know how he could possibly say that after only being with her for a few short days, most of which she spent sleeping or driving. Then she realized that he could say it because he wasn't holding back. He didn't have walls; he didn't have issues. He was just...who he was, and he was happy. Rose wanted that more than anything- just to be happy.

I could be happy with him.

No.

I will be happy with him.

Without a word, Rose lunged across the bed, pinning Emmett on his back. She straddled his lap and ripped off her shirt. Emmett just lay there, not sure what to do. Reality set in, and he pulled Rose to his chest so he could run his hands over her skin. She kissed him deeply, his lips still moist from their earlier encounter, soft but slightly chapped from riding all day. She buried her hands in his thick, crazy hair and started trailing heavy kisses down his jaw to just behind his ear. Emmett shuddered beneath her as she teased him, exhaling her breath slowly over the epicenter of nerves that ran through that spot. Rose giggled at his reaction and did it again. He groaned, tightening his grip on her back, and managed to unhook her bra. Rose sat up, flung it across the room, and pulled Emmett's hands to her breasts. He handled them gently, cupping each one lightly. Frustrated and horny beyond belief, Rose put her hands over his and massaged firmly. Emmett took the hint, giving her more of what she wanted, squeezing her nipples and making them instantly hard. Shifting his weight, he sat up as much as he could, moving Rose directly onto the erection that was threatening to tear open his jeans. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, settling into her new position, She reached down and stripped Emmett of his shirt, exposing his smooth, perfectly sculpted torso. Pushing him back into his prone position, she began making her way down his body with open mouth kisses and nibbles, gently dragging her nails behind her. Emmett propped himself up on his elbows to watch her progress, tilting his head back and groaning when she found particularly sensitive spots. Rose got to his belt buckle and smiled up at him mischievously. She rubbed his length through his pants, and Emmett fell back off of his elbows with a grunt. Rose laughed as she loosened his belt, slipping the leather out of the buckle expertly. She unzipped his fly and reached into his jeans.

"Room service!" Rose was interrupted by a muffled voice at the door.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emmett sat up, looking quite pissed. Rose was equally frustrated as she grabbed a shirt off the bed and pulled it over her head on the way to the door. When she opened the door, the same waiter was standing there with his serving cart. He pushed it past her silently, walking straight to the desk where Rose's food sat untouched. After unloading the food, the waiter turned around to leave. He walked by the bed and saw Emmett, half naked and pants unbuttoned, sprawled across the bed with his hands behind his head. The waiter shook his head and walked faster into the hallway, slamming the door and not even waiting for a tip. Rose turned around to see that Emmett had risen from the bed and had started going through the food. She sighed, hating that hunger killed the mood, but she was glad that she would finally be able to eat something after her long day. Emmett carried their plates to the bed so they could sit together comfortably.

"So," Rose said, after a few bites of lukewarm potatoes, "are you going to eat like that?" She motioned to Emmett's lack of shirt and unbuckled pants.

"Why the hell wouldn't I? I have to get you back in the mood somehow, right? Besides, you're wearing my shirt." He flashed his most winning smile at her, dimples and all.

Rose looked down to see that she was indeed wearing his shirt, rolled her eyes, and finished her food. She tried not to overeat; she didn't want to be uncomfortably full if they decided to get busy later. Emmett shoveled in food at his normal rate and finished soon after Rose. He stacked the plates back on the desk, and then sat at the head of the bed, pulling Rose to his lap facing away from him and wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head back on his shoulder.

"Tell me about yourself, Em. You know so much about me, but I know almost nothing about you."

"Seriously? We can't just pick up where we left off?" Emmett pouted. Rose gave him a dirty look. "Okay, sorry, I'll tell you about me. What do you want to know?"

"What do you want in life?"

"You." Emmett squeezed her tightly.

"Come on, try to be serious for two seconds!"

"I guess I want what everyone wants. The American Dream. A wife, two-point-three kids, dog, cat, and the house with a picket fence in Midwest suburbia. Maybe more than two kids, but it's a good starting point. I thought I'd be married straight out of college, but it just didn't happen."

"Why not?"

"The girl I was with turned out to be a complete psycho. I'm not into the freaky, jealous types."

"I'm not a freaky, jealous type." Rose thought for a second. "Well, maybe a little freaky, but definitely not psycho."

Emmett squeezed her again and let his hands drift down her sides. He moved her shirt with his thumbs and gained access to the smooth skin underneath. Rose felt him grow hard against her as his hands roamed her body. She arched her back, taking in a sharp breath when he rolled her nipples between his fingers. He tugged a little before sliding a hand between her thighs. Rose moaned as he touched her intimately, his touch soft but needy. She wanted to give him what he wanted, what they both needed. Moving his arms out of her way, Rose undressed quickly. Emmett followed her cue, taking off his pants but getting his foot caught in one leg. Cursing, he kicked it around and pulled it off while Rose stood laughing at him. Once he was free, Emmett growled at her, then threw her on the bed. He jumped on top of her, spreading her legs and positioning himself between them. Rose stopped laughing, but kept her smile. She had never wanted anyone more in her life. Emmett dropped down and kissed her deeply, his tongue sweet and soft against hers. Rose ran her hands over his broad shoulders and down his well-muscled arms. She traveled from his arms to his back. Every single muscle was perfectly formed and flexed, and Rose loved every inch of him.

Emmett's hand worked its way down her body, taking a moment to rub her clit, which sent jolts of pleasure through her. He gently pushed two fingers inside of her slowly, letting her adjust to the new sensation before continuing. Emmett moved in and out of her, turning his hand as he moved and sending her to new levels of ecstasy. Once Rose came back down, she opened her eyes to see Emmett smiling down at her. She reached behind him, grabbed his ass with both hands, and pulled him forward until his cock was barely touching her.

"I need you," Rose said huskily, her lips grazing Emmett's ear. Emmett wasted no time. Hiking Rose's hips up a little, he thrust inside of her. Rose's eyes flew open. While Emmett had done a wonderful job of warming her up, nothing could have prepared her for his girth. He sensed her discomfort and pulled back a little, waiting for her to stretch enough to accommodate his size. Rose's body relaxed, and Emmett was able to keep going, but he took it a little slower than before. As he slid in and out, Rose realized her breathing matched his strokes. He started moving faster, putting one arm underneath her for better leverage. Rose felt pressure beginning to build low in her belly, threatening to explode. Emmett started taking short, sharp breaths, and Rose felt him twitching deep inside her.

"Rose, please, I need you to come, baby."

His words unleashed her orgasm. Rose clenched around him tightly, pulsing and throbbing, and dug her nails into his back. He grunted as he spilled inside of her, burying his face in her neck and holding his breath. Their bodies shook together during the aftershocks of their orgasms. Emmett rolled off of her, flopping onto his back with his arms above his head and a big, goofy grin on his face. Rose rolled onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. He turned to look at her.

"It's about damn time."

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**I hope it was worth the wait! I have no idea when 10 will be up, but I promise it won't take as long as this did!**


	10. D'oh!

**A/N: Long time between updates, I know :( I hope you enjoy!**

**Big thank you to my betas! One day I'll get laid/lay!  
**

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Emmett slept soundly, his arm and leg draped over Rose and his head on her chest. Rose didn't find sleep as easily. She played with his curls, lazily winding them one at a time around her fingers, then letting go, watching them slowly unwind and fall back into place. Emmett mumbled and stirred in his sleep. Rose shushed him quietly, stroking his cheek until he relaxed. When he settled, she retreated to her thoughts.

The evening was unforgettable, and not just the sex. The conversation was amazing, and she was surprised to find that they had so much in common. Rose found herself absolutely captivated by Emmett's smile, his eyes, his voice. When he looked at her, she felt desired. Not just wanted, but needed. She normally frowned on this sort of love-at-first-sight crap, but with him she just knew. They wouldn't need years of dating and months of engagement. If he asked her to go to the courthouse with him that minute, she knew that she would go. This man loved her, wanted nothing more than her, knowing full well she was damaged goods. He even said it- before they had sex!

But...

The tiny, doubting voice in her head made itself known.

What if he changes his mind?

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. The thought of giving all of herself to someone again scared her. She knew that Emmett was nothing like Royce, but she would still be opening herself up for some enormous heartache if Emmett decided to run after the next hot blonde to walk by. He didn't seem the type to do that, though. Everything he'd told her to that point had all been exactly what she needed to hear. But is he too perfect? Rose looked down at the man who was now drooling on her chest. She smiled and used the edge of the sheet to wipe away the puddle. The movement disturbed Emmett, and he lifted his head to look at her.

"Oh, good, you're still here. The candles are in the fridge." He put his head back on her chest and slipped into a deeper sleep.

No. Not too perfect.

Rosalie was an easy mark to follow; that car stuck out on the highway like no other. When she checked into the hotel, he missed hearing what room she was in because he had to stay out of sight. James waited as she went back to her car, then followed her at a distance to the elevators. She hesitated at the pool, and James thought she might skip going to her room and take a swim first, but she just sighed and kept walking. Once she was on the elevator and the doors closed, he stood in front of the display to see where it was headed. The light stopped on the fifth floor. James launched himself into the other elevator and punched the number five, glaring at the ceiling to make it go faster. When he reached the floor, he slowly exited, looking both ways for any sign of his Rose. He heard a door close to his right, about five doors down. Following the noise, he walked down the hall and put his ear to the door. There was no noise on the other side; James wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He was about to leave when he heard a woman's muffled voice. My Rose. He strained to hear what she was saying, but the conversation was over as quickly as it began. Hearing nothing else, he decided to sit in the chairs by the elevators. He figured that she would have to come out to eat since she never stopped for food.

Picking up a newspaper, he tried to read while he waited. He made it through the sports section before getting impatient. He grabbed a pen off the table and started scribbling in the crossword. The elevator doors opened, and James looked up. A very pissed off Emmett stood there holding a motorcycle helmet, staring just above James. Emmett suddenly turned right and jogged down the hallway. He knocked on Rose's door, and after a few minutes, Rose came flying out of the room and into Emmett's arms. James fumed. How _dare_ she let another man touch her. James couldn't watch. He went back to the main floor and found the bar.

James chewed the edges of his nails, occasionally taking a swill of scotch from the tumbler on the bar. The stuffy bartender eyed him cautiously as he filled other orders. James stared back at the man, fierce and unblinking. Uncomfortable under James' intense gaze, the bartender slipped and bumped into a waitress, causing her to drop a tray of drinks. Satisfied with the amount of havoc wreaked, James turned back to his problems. He had to figure out how to get that lumbering oaf out of the picture so Rosalie could see what a real man could do for her.

It's time someone had an 'accident' on their precious motorcycle.

Sun shone through the windows, its rays warming Emmett's face and waking him. He grunted, eyes still closed, and rolled away from the light. Reaching out, he felt around the bed for Rose. When he couldn't find her, he opened his eyes and looked around the room. Her bag was missing and her side of the bed was made.

Not again...

Emmett threw back the covers and put on his boxers. He rushed to the bathroom so he could answer nature's call before getting dressed and hunting Rose down again. As he opened the bathroom door, he realized that the light was on. Oh shit. He tried to pull back, but it was too late to stop the motion, but he tried to pull back. He managed to fall into the bathroom, catching himself on the door handle and the edge of the sink.

Rose stood at the sink wrapped in a towel, with her toothbrush in her mouth, staring wide-eyed at Emmett. Embarrassed, he looked up at her, giving her a little smile, and tried not to look like a complete ass. Rose blinked a few times, shook her head slowly, and went back to brushing her teeth in the mirror. Emmett got up off the floor, eased out of the room, and shut the door gently. He sat on the edge of the bed and kicked himself for being such a jerk. He should trust her, not flip out just because she wasn't right there when he woke up. Sighing, he grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels on the TV. After a few minutes of channel surfing, he settled on a news network. Rose came out of the bathroom, carrying her bag.

Emmett's mouth hung open at the sight of her. She had replaced the towel with a thin, baby blue tank top and matching lacy boy shorts. The tank was loose, but hung just tight enough that Emmett could see every gentle curve of her body. He followed her curves down her hips to her long, supple legs. Rose turned to place her bag on the floor and gave him a full view of her heart-shaped ass. She sat on the edge of the desk, crossing her legs.

"So what the hell was that all about?" Rose asked. Emmett wasn't sure if he wanted to be honest and tell her exactly how he felt or if he should play cool and make something up on the fly. Something about Rose's expression told him to tell the truth.

"I thought you had left," he mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Are you serious?" Rose stared at him in disbelief. "After last night, you thought I would just leave you again?"

"It was stupid, I'm sorry. But when you weren't there, and your bag was gone, I just thought..." he trailed off, looking at the floor. Suddenly, he felt hands run through his hair.

"I'm sorry." Rose looked down at him with forgiving eyes. "You shouldn't have to think like that. It's my fault you were stupid." She smiled at him, resting her hands on the back of his neck. Emmett pulled her down and kissed her gently. She pushed back and grimaced.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"No offense, but you should probably go freshen up."

Emmett laughed and stood up, wrapping his arms around her. She nuzzled into his bare chest and sighed.

"You win. I'll be right back." He let go of her and strutted toward the bathroom like a supermodel on a catwalk, winking at her when he got to the door. She rolled her eyes and laughed. Grinning, Emmett closed the door, hoping Rose would still be there when he came out, and hating himself for doubting her.

Rose lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She was irritated that Emmett didn't trust her after the night they had. She knew she had no right to be mad at him; it was her that did the leaving in Chicago after all. And he was obviously going to find her again, so it's not like he had given up on her. Taking a step back and looking at it rationally, the whole thing seemed sweet, almost comically so. She smiled. Emmett was a good man. She still wasn't sure what he saw in her, but she was happy with him.

Happy. I like this 'happy'.

Rose heard the shower water turn on, so she grabbed her laptop and switched it on so she could find things for them to do that day. There was a laundry list of things she wanted to do in the room, but in between those times, she wanted to be entertained. The zoo was first on her list, but she'd put a few other things out as options in case Emmett wasn't really a zoo kind of person. Rose suddenly wasn't sure she could be with a man who didn't like to go to zoos. She always pictured herself taking her family there, walking between the exhibits, eating ice cream and carrying balloons. If he didn't like that, how would she even be able to pretend they had a future?

Okay, I need to get a grip and stop looking for reasons to get out of this relationship.

Rose closed her laptop and put it away. She started combing out her hair before it dried into a matted mess. There was a thud in the shower, some muffled cursing, then the water turned off. Rose thought about checking on Emmett, then decided against it. Whatever it is, he can handle it. She finished her hair quickly, and Emmett came out as she put her brush away. She picked up the list she had written.

"Hey, I made a list of things we can see while we're here." She turned and looked at Emmett.

Like seemingly every other man in the world, he was incapable of drying himself off before getting out of the shower, so he was still soaking wet and dripping on the carpet. Unlike every other man in the world, he looked like a water god while doing it. Knowing that Rose was staring, Emmett faked a yawn, stretching his arms up and out, flexing every muscle he could, the towel around his hips barely holding on. Rose looked at the list, then back to Emmett, then to the list. She dropped the list. Emmett grinned and dropped his towel.

Rose rushed towards him, jumping into his waiting arms. Emmett backed up and sat on the edge of the bed as Rose kissed up and down his neck, running her hands down his back. The smell of Emmett's skin after the shower was refreshing, and even though the hotel soap wasn't his normal body wash, it was still intoxicating on him. Or maybe it was just him. As he ran his hands over her hips and kissed her deeply, she found that she didn't care.

Emmett broke their kiss and took one of her nipples in his mouth, biting it just hard enough to make Rose gasp and buck her hips. When she moved, she felt his throbbing shaft rub against her. She rocked her hips back and forth, making Emmett groan and pull her closer as his hands continued exploring her body. He took his mouth off her breasts and kissed the soft spot just behind her ear. Rose's body buzzed as every nerve came alive. She gripped Emmett's shoulders from under his arms and raised her hips up, positioning herself just above his waiting cock. She teased him a bit, lowering just enough to press the head of his shaft against her entrance, then raising back up, making him moan. After the third time, Emmett growled, picked her up, and threw her on the bed, landing on top of her. She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him, biting his lip before he pulled away.

Emmett positioned himself so that he was right at the entrance to her heat again. He pushed in slowly, letting Rose adjust to his girth again. Rose was not in the mood to wait; she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him in the rest of the way, raising herself up so she could take as much of him as she could. That sensation alone brought her to the edge of ecstasy, building a pressure deep inside her core. Emmett slowly pulled out of her, then pushed back into her hard, causing them both to moan. He did it again, faster this time, and again, each time making Rose cry out in pleasure.

Her breathing became ragged as each stroke he took pushed her closer to her climax. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears, matching him beat for stroke. Her nails dug into the rigid muscles of his back and Rose was sure she would draw blood, but Emmett didn't seem to mind. He had a look of dogged determination on his face, and he was trying his hardest not to finish before she got hers.

He shifted his weight slightly, and Rose felt herself lose control. The room spun, colors became more intense, and every muscle in her body contracted and relaxed at the same time. Her eyes closed, and she let her release carry her as high as she could go. Emmett groaned, taking two long strokes inside of her as he came. He dropped next to her on the bed, grinning and out of breath.

"That's what I'm talkin' bout." He rolled to face her. "You're fucking awesome."

Rose just laughed. Emmett pulled her to his chest and laughed with her. Rose knew that he meant it, and that made it even better for her. She snuggled into his chest.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked him while tracing his abs.

"You."

"Seriously."

"You made a list, right? What are my options? I didn't plan on being in Memphis today, so you tell me."

"Well, I didn't plan on spending my day in Memphis either. I'm supposed to be driving to New Orleans right now," she said haughtily. Emmett stiffened, and as soon as she said it, she regretted it. "Sorry. That's not what I meant." She hugged Emmett tightly.

"I know. Still stings a bit though." He hugged her back. "And it still doesn't help me figure out what there is to do here. Do they have a zoo or something?"

Rose's head popped off his chest and she looked straight at him.

"You like zoos?" she asked suspiciously.

"Um, yes. Why? Is that bad?" He looked a little scared.

"Get dressed. We're going to the zoo."

James paced the lobby, riddled with anger and anxiety. It was ten o'clock and Rosalie still hadn't come downstairs. He fought the urge to go up to her room and pound on the door, demanding to be let in. The only thing that stopped him was Rose. James didn't want her to see him take out her little boy toy; it might upset her. Emmett's destruction had to look accidental, then Rose would easily be his. That glorious body, her angelic face, and, most of all, those piercing eyes. When she looked into his eyes that night, it was as though she reached his soul, bringing to life a monster he had never known.

James felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he pulled it out. Victoria. As much fun as she had been over the last year or so, she was worn out and no longer held his interest. He ignored the call and continued pacing. The phone vibrated again; he ignored it again. The third time, he couldn't stand it anymore, and he hit the accept button.

"What the fuck do you want?" he snarled, making an older woman in the lobby jump and scurry away from him.

"Well excuse the shit out of me! I didn't mean to bother you, you asshole. I thought you might want to know what's been going on up here."

"Vic, why the hell would I care what's going on in your little world of nothingness?"

"Maybe because you're the talk of the fucking town right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The news has your info all over it. They're hunting you down!" Victoria giggled. "You're lucky you left when you did."

"What part of this is funny to you, you dumb bitch? Tell me, please, what part of this seems like a fucking joke to you, because I don't see it." James was shouting. The woman he had frightened earlier was back, this time with the manager of the hotel. James paid no attention to them as he continued to lay into Victoria.

"What are you going to do if I'm gone, Vic? Hm? What are you going to do without your sugar daddy taking care of you and providing for you? Do you really think you can make it on a nurse's salary right now and live the way I've let you live? No. You have it so good right now, you spoiled bitch; you fucking need me, and don't you ever fucking forget it!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Victoria's sobs rang through the phone's speaker, bringing James a sick satisfaction. No matter how bored he was with her, making her cry never got old, and being able to do it from a different state made him feel even more powerful.

"Now you fucking listen to me-" James's sentence was cut short when he felt a large, heavy hand grab his shoulder tightly.

"Sir, are you a guest at this establishment?" James looked up to see a security guard towering over him. The man was young, no older than twenty, but he was fully developed. His immense shoulders led down to the thick, well-muscled arm that was now bearing down on James, waiting for his response.

"Who the hell wants to know?" he spat, hoping his tone would make up for his lack of size.

"Sir, I'm Felix, and I run security at this hotel. So I ask again-" he squeezed harder, "-are you a guest here?"

James started to squirm under the pressure of Felix's grip. The man knew just where to dig his knuckles, and the pain was intense.

"No, I'm not a guest. I'm waiting for someone," James managed to say. He faintly heard Victoria, still on the phone and panicking.

"Let's go wait outside, shall we?" Felix used James' shoulder to turn him and started pushing him to the exit. James twisted and pulled, but couldn't get out of the man's hold on him.

"Keep struggling," Felix said, a little too happily, "I like 'em feisty!" He pushed James harder, nearly throwing him to the floor. When they finally reached the doors, Felix stopped.

"If I see you in here again, I'll beat the shit out of you, then call the cops. We don't tolerate your bullshit in our lobby." Felix shoved him out the doors and called out, "Have a nice day, sir!"

James tripped on the curb and was nearly hit by a car that pulled up at the same time. He brushed himself off, picked up his phone, and headed to his car. As bitter as he was about being thrown out, he was glad to see that the parking lot had thinned a little and he could get a space closer to the entrance. He could be less conspicuous that way anyway. Starting his car, he pulled into his new spot and waited. He knew that Rose would appreciate his dedication, all the work he put into finding her and keeping her.

She had better, anyway.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short, folks. Holidays, visitors, all that fun stuff. Leave me love!**


	11. Giraffes

**A/N: I'm a horrible, awful updater. Holidays, children, and a school-wide plague got in the way of my writing. This chapter is short, but it ended itself that way. **

**A HUGE thanks to my betas ****Tiffanyanne3 and Twimarti for putting up with my weird and random keyboarding mistakes!  
**

* * *

Rose used the blow dryer to fix her hair while Emmett ironed out the majority of the wrinkles and creases in his clothes. The silence between them was comfortable; neither of them felt forced to make small talk. Rose was pleased with how normal it felt, like they had been together for years instead of days. She glanced over to check on his progress and saw that he was still working on the same shirt, but he had a small smile on his face. Seeing his smile made her smile too. She finished her hair and tossed everything back in her bag. Using the weather app on her phone, she checked the outside temperature before choosing an outfit. It was going to be hot, so she picked out a flattering tank and shorts that were just short enough to show off her legs, but not so short she looked like a street walker. She slid off the bedtime tank and grabbed her favorite bra. As she stood to put it on, Emmett's hands cupped her breasts and he pulled her to his chest.

"You don't have to wear that," he murmured into her neck. "We could just walk around like this all day." Rose closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to his head, smiling.

"I'm pretty sure we would attract a lot of unwelcome attention."

"Meh. Let 'em look." He started kissing his way down her neck. She shivered but pulled away.

"If we're going to do the zoo thing, we need to leave soon."

"Can you go naked?"

"Emmett, go get dressed."

"Fine, have it your way." He gave her one last kiss, right behind her ear. She shivered again; it hadn't taken him long to learn where to get to her. He went back to his clothes, and shook out the last few wrinkles. His back was to her, and she couldn't help but stare. Every part of him was perfectly sculpted, from the broad lines of his neck and shoulders to the tiny dimples just above his boxers. She watched his muscles flex as he moved, quite efficiently, too, for such a lumbering bear of a man. Sadly, her free show came to an end when he pulled his shirt on. Rose pouted, turning back to her own clothes and got ready to go.

Once She had tossed some must-haves into her purse, the happy couple walked to the elevators. When they got out at the lobby, Emmett stopped.

"We're not leaving that way. Some guy is over there going nuts," he said. Rose peeked around his shoulder in time to see a large security guard grab the man's shoulder. She winced in pain for the poor guy.

"Ouch," she said sympathetically. They watched as a small crowd gathered along the wall near the doors. Emmett was satisfied that things were being handled, so he led the way to the side exit. When they reached the car, there was a brief argument over who would drive, which Rose ultimately won. She started the car with a smug little smile. Emmett plugged in the zoo's address into the GPS. He finished setting it up as Rose pulled around the front of the hotel to get to the main road.

The man who had caused the ruckus was suddenly thrown in their path. Stomping on the brakes, Rose clenched her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to see the aftermath if she actually hit the man. He cursed as his seat belt locked into placed. She opened her eyes in time to see the man jog off to his car, unharmed. She exhaled and looked wide-eyed at Emmett. He just glared after the man, shaking his head and muttering about clumsy assholes.

With the unexpected brake check out of the way, they headed to the zoo. She really wasn't sure what to expect out of their date; they had already gone through interesting, relationship-testing events. Stalking, a hospital stay, a dramatic exit, a romantic reunion...what else was there?

An evil twin maybe? She snorted at her thoughts. Emmett gave her a funny look.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about how crazy things have been."

"Fun though, right?"

"Other than the fact that I was stalked by some creep and nearly died, yes, it's been fun."

Emmett laughed and rubbed her thigh. She shifted away from his hand, making every attempt to ignore the instant build-up of moisture in her girly bits. Even the most innocent touch from him turned her into jello, and that didn't make for safe driving conditions. His hand crept higher; she nearly missed a turn. When they stopped at an intersection, she pushed his roaming hand away and shook her head at him.

"You are a terrible distraction."

"I do what I can." He put his hand back on her leg, this time only millimeters away from her heat. Squeezing hard, he made her groan with anticipation, need. She closed her eyes and let him go further.

A horn blared behind them and she was instantly brought out of her happy place and into the real world, where the light had been green for who knows how long.

"Gah! Stop it; I have to drive!" She stomped the accelerator and they both were pushed into their seats.

"You know, if I was driving, it wouldn't be a problem. I'm an excellent multi-tasker."

Rose rolled her eyes, but made note of that for their next trip.

They got to the zoo and she locked up the car. Hand in hand, they went to the admission booth. The place was swarming with kids on summer break, so the line was considerable. She normally didn't do well in queues, but with her current company, she found herself actually enjoying herself.

She had never been on any "fun" dates before, so this was new. All of it was new really, but this part specifically. Royce would take her to dinner, dancing, and even a movie on occasion. They'd eventually end up at his place or hers, but it wasn't fulfilling. She did what he wanted because she wanted to make him, the man to whom she felt she owed everything, happy. As a result, Royce was able to manipulate her into whatever he wanted. She hated him for it. She hated herself for letting him do it. After all, people only make you feel as bad as you let them.

Emmett nudged her forward as the line moved. She looked up at him adoringly. He would never try to twist and mold her into what he wanted. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and watched as more school-aged kids were herded into the zoo. Every family was beautiful, from the fledgling first time parents with their dolled-up newborn, to the couple in their late forties surrounded by teenagers. Many of the people her age had at least one, if not two or three little ones at their feet and in strollers.

She sighed, watching one particularly gorgeous little boy run around a monkey sign, pretending to hide from his parents. The boy's tight black curls and pale eyes and skin made him look almost porcelain, like a collectable doll had been brought to life. Emmett followed her gaze and gave her a little hug.

"One day." He kissed the top of her head. She smiled and snuggled closer to him. They reached the front of the line and Emmett bought their tickets.

* * *

James sat. He waited. He fumed. There had been no sign of Rose for over an hour, so he checked the parking lot. Her car was gone. He didn't know how she had gotten out without him noticing, but she was gone. Emmett's bike was still there though, which meant they were together. That thought only pissed James off more. He sat, chewing his fingernails to nubs, then biting the skin around them until he bled.

He had to do something. He couldn't just sit around, waiting until they showed back up; it was driving him insane. He drove around the building, looking for another entrance. There was a side door that looked to lead in past the lobby, circumventing the front desk and, if he was lucky, that asshole Felix.

He parked as close to the door as he could and got out of his car. When he approached the door, he realized he would need a card key to get in. Fuck. He quickly came up with a plan of action. As a woman walked towards the door, he started pretending to talk on his phone.

"Yeah, I'm on my way up now," he told his phone, trying to sound as convincing as possible. The woman walked past him and used her card on the door. James rushed in behind her, smiling sweetly and grabbing the door as she opened it. His gentlemanly routine worked, and she smiled back, letting him hold the door for her.

He continued his fake conversation as he quickly walked past the lobby, holding the phone and angling his arm just enough so he wouldn't be recognized. The cute little blonde he followed in pressed the up button on the elevator. If he hadn't been so intent on gaining access to Rosalie's room, he would have been interested in her, maybe taken her out for a drink before getting her in bed.

At Rose's floor, he stepped off and looked both ways down the hall. The woman tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi," she said coolly, "I couldn't help but notice that you're faking a phone call." Her pale blue eyes turned his blood cold, and despite her tiny, frail appearance, he was suddenly very certain she was capable of great danger. His heart increased its pace.

"What? No, I'm just on hold now." He smiled confidently, still holding the phone to his ear.

"Mmhmm." She clearly didn't believe him. "Well, when you're ready to get off the phone, feel free to come visit me in room 212. My name's Jane." With that, she sauntered off, swishing her hips as she went. James wasn't sure what had just happened, but he didn't want to waste time on distraction. He needed to stay focused.

He walked down the hall to Rosalie's door. Of course it was locked and he had no key. Not being a spy or secret agent, he had no equipment to hack into the card key box either. Relying on a trick he had seen on countless movies, he hunted down a housekeeping cart. He found one not too far down the hall and prepared to lay on the charm.

Two Hispanic women, one in her late fifties and the other barely in her twenties, pushed the cart from one room to the next, tidying things as they went. James approached the older woman and smiled broadly.

"Excuse me, miss, but I left my card in my room and now I can't get in. Can you open the door for me?"

She eyed him warily, taking him in. Something about his eyes put her on edge. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and what the woman saw in the otherwise ordinary, clean-cut gentleman blocking the hallway frightened her. Mumbling in broken English, she said that she wasn't supposed to open doors for people, only clean the rooms. She tried to push the cart past him, but he wouldn't move.

"Come now, I'm not a bad man. I just need to get into my room. My wife has my wallet and has gone shopping. I don't have another way to get in. Just open the door for me." His smile went from sweet to steely. He grabbed the cart and stared into her eyes. She tried to pull it out of his grip, but he stood unmoving. Peripherally, he noticed that the other woman had pushed herself against the wall; James was certain that she was wishing she could become one with the wall paper. The old woman conceded defeat and pulled out her master key, motioning to James that she would follow him. His smile turned warm again.

"Was that so hard?"

They walked to Rosalie's room and the woman opened the door. She did a quick room check, then left James to his devices. He could have sworn he heard her curse at him under her breath, but it wasn't worth taking care of.

He was finally in her room.

* * *

"Left or right?" Emmett held the map, and the couple surveyed it closely. Lions, meerkats, and birds were to the left; monkeys, zebras, and giraffes were to the right. Rose knew which way she preferred to go, but she wanted to see what he would choose. It was another in an endless series of subconscious compatibility tests that she would perform until she felt felt secure in the relationship.

"Which do you want?"

"Right. We can go past the giraffes, then head straight for the wolves and bears. Sound good?"

"That sounds perfect." She smiled. He chose right, in more ways than one.

Emmett folded the map, then took her hand as they wandered down the smooth footpath. Children flocked around each exhibit, watching the animals and trying to get their attention. The chimpanzees were especially entertaining, swinging from rope to rope, chasing each other around their enormous enclosure. Every once in a while, one would stop and wave or grin at the crowd, causing everyone to laugh and wave back. After a point, she wasn't sure who was having more fun: Emmett or the children that surrounded them.

The couple continued on, passing by a sparkling lake housing the waterfowl. Rose was fond of the flamingos; she thought that even though they looked a little ridiculous, there was something slightly elegant about them. Everything about them seemed to twist the wrong direction, yet they still stood, managing to keep their balance on one spindly little backwards-bending leg. A testament to Mother Nature's sense of humor to be sure.

Emmett eagerly led her on to the next exhibit. His enthusiasm and energy had rubbed off on her, so hand in hand, they came as close to skipping as two adults could as they followed the path to the giraffes. Rose normally wouldn't make such a spectacle of herself, but she just didn't care. She was happy, in love, and if others wanted to stare, let them stare.

They stopped at the giraffe enclosure and Emmett became excited, his face lighting up much like the children's back at the chimpanzees.

"Look! They have reticulated giraffes!" He emphasized reticulated, as if she knew what that meant.

She scanned the man-made savanna, searching for some clue in the herd of seven that made them "reticulated". They looked like regular giraffes to her: tall, long necks, knobby knees, funny little horns...nothing special. Just giraffes.

"I give up. What am I looking for?"

"Their spots. Don't you see the difference between these and the ones in Lincoln Park?" He looked at her as though she had a second head. It wasn't often that she felt out of the intellectual loop, but this was certainly one of those times. She had been going to zoos for as long as she could remember, and not once was she ever told there were two kinds of giraffe.

"No. No, I don't. They look like giraffes." She gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to explain what the hell he meant.

"Do you see the bright white lines between their spots? And how the spots are bright orange?" He pointed to the one closest to them, taking the opportunity to lean in close to her and wrap an arm around her waist. "That makes them reticulated. The ones we have in Lincoln Park are Rothschild's; they have darker spots and almost no markings on their legs."

"How on Earth do you know these things?"

"I went to the zoo every single weekend as a kid. I loved it, and I wanted to become a zookeeper. I even studied wildlife management for awhile." He smiled wistfully, remembering the simpler times of childhood.

"So, why didn't you finish?"

"Something else came up." For the briefest of moments, Rose saw something in his eyes she had never seen before.

Pain.

She wondered what could have brought him enough pain to make him change his entire life plan. There was a world of difference between animal husbandry and pediatric medicine. From the flicker of expression, she decided that it was best not to pry right then. She knew there would be plenty of time for that later, and judging by the uncomfortable silence and the faraway look he had taken on, that time wouldn't be soon.

"Maybe these guys will let us feed them," she said brightly, changing the subject and hoping to pull him back to her.

As if on cue, the giraffe moseyed up to the observation deck in search of pellets. Rose leaned over to the pellet machine, popped a quarter into the mechanism, and turned the knob. She opened the flap and received a sizable handful of tiny brown treats. The giraffe recognized the noise and leaned over the wooden railing, flapping its fuzzy lips in anticipation. She offered half of the food to Emmett, who accepted it in his mitt of a hand.

"After you," he said, grinning at her. Tentatively, she reached out to the animal. She had never fed a giraffe before; she assumed it would be like feeding a horse sugar cubes. She was so very wrong. Its long, purple tongue flicked out, pulling all the pellets into its mouth and leaving behind a trail of giraffe slobber. Rose was disgusted and stared at her hand. She never really thought of herself as a girly girl, but seeing slime drip from her palm onto the worn wooden planks of the boardwalk made her gag.

When she thought it couldn't possibly get worse, it did. Emmett misread her open hand as an invitation for another round of pellets and gave her his. While she stood frozen, appalled and nauseated, the giraffe took another swipe at her palm, its tongue curling around her thumb this time and lingering, trying to get every crumb it could off of her hand.

Emmett finally noticed the look on her face and cracked up. His laughter startled the poor animal, causing it to jump back and run off to rejoin its herd. She still didn't move.

"Aw, come on, Rose. It's just a little giraffe love!" Emmett teased. She turned to face him, an evil smirk replacing her horrified expression.

"Oh, in that case you won't mind me sharing the love with you."

Before he could react, Rose grabbed his hand and wiped all the goo on his arm, effectively drying her hand and getting a good rise out of him. He yelped and jumped back, shaking the offended appendage to get what he could off of it. Seeing such a big man act like a princess amused her to no end, and she could help but chuckle.

Suddenly, she was scooped up into his arms, and he brought her to the railing of the giraffe pen. He threatened to throw her in, laughing as she clung to his neck and begged him to stop through her breathless giggles. She tried distracting him by trailing kisses along his throat and up his jawline. Emmett pulled back away from the railing. When she brought her mouth to his ear and took the lobe between her teeth, she bit hard enough to let him know what she was thinking.

He nearly dropped her.

"Let's take this somewhere a little more private," she whispered huskily, letting her lips brush his ear with each word.

He dropped her.

* * *

**There might be public displays of lemons in the next chapter. Just a warning. I have no idea how long it will take to update :-/ but definitely not as long as last time. Thank you to my loyal readers for being endlessly patient with me!**


	12. Birds and Bees

**Sooooooo... *whistles and looks around innocently* Yeah... How's the weather? Good? Great!**

**Okay, I have a million reasons why this took so long, most of them intensely kid-related (two kids, two surgeries, ten days apart. Good times.) It's not the story's fault at all, it's coming along quite nicely, my betas are AMAZING, but real life is Bleh. We're through the worst of it though, so hopefully I'll have more sit-down time!**

**A big thanks to my betas, who put up with my liberal use of commas!**

**Warning: If you can't stand lemons, get away from the lemonade stand.  
**

* * *

Rose glared up at Emmett.

"Really? I try to seduce you, and all I get is dropped?" Her tone was only half serious. He picked up on it and grinned at her. After lifting her to her feet, he held her close. He kissed her gently on the forehead, the lips, and then gave her one quick kiss on her nose that made her giggle. Brushing his lips almost too softly along her jaw, he made a slow line to the spot behind her ear. She took in a sharp breath, closing her eyes and trying to resist the urge to throw him down in front of God and everybody.

"Will you ever forgive me?" His words were whispered into the hollow between her ear and neck. She shivered a delicious, warm shiver that started behind her ear and settled deep in her core. That was all it took to get her back in the moment. She turned and nibbled into his neck, kissing her way up to his mouth. They shared a deep, passionate kiss their lips, tongues, and breathing all in sync as they explored the still-new feeling of their relationship.

"Rose. My. Dear," Emmett said, punctuating each word with a mini-kiss. "I think we're being watched." She opened her eyes to see the giraffe they had fed earlier, along with one of its friends, staring at them. She laughed, burying her face in Emmett's chest. He squeezed her tightly, and she never wanted him to let her go.

An idea hit her. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him back down the trail the way they had come.

"Where the hell are we going, Rose?" Emmett sounded confused but amused. They came to a sign post, its colorful wooden arrows pointing visitors in the right directions, and paused so Rose could gain her bearings. When she pulled his arm again, he checked the sign to see what awaited them.

"Rose, are you serious?" He laughed, now understanding her motive.

She glanced back over her shoulder and smirked at him as she dragged him down the path to the "Birds and Bees" area.

James took in a deep breath. The air in the small room still hung on to the light scent of Rose's body wash, just as it had in her apartment. Here though, it was tainted with the musky man-scent that he immediately knew belonged to that asshole McCarty.

Evidence of the man's presence was everywhere. A pair of boxers, much too big for his slim, delicate Rose, hung on the back of a chair, a helmet sat on top of the dresser, and one side of the bed was still rumpled and unmade.

James spotted the man's backpack on the table and decided to dig through it. There was nothing of much interest in it, just clothes and an iPod in the main compartment and a poncho tucked into the side pocket. He checked the final front pocket and found condoms.

Condoms?

He knew that they were alone together, that they were sharing a bed. But to have evidence of their sexcapades right in front of his face was more than he could handle.

In a fit of rage, he threw the backpack against the wall, its contents spilling out onto the floor. Not yet satisfied, he picked the iPod up from the floor and threw it against the dresser, smashing the screen and rendering it useless. It still wasn't enough. He took the helmet and started stomping out the face shield. It took more effort than he thought it would, but the sound of the breaking plastic and carbon fiber combined with the sick satisfaction he got from kicking in Emmett's face, in effigy at least, was more than worth it.

James tore apart everything he possibly could but took great care to avoid hurting Rose's things. This wasn't about her. It was about that man now.

Rose backed into a somewhat secluded corner of the bee room. They were the only two people in there, which she found surprising since the rest of the zoo was absolutely packed. She yanked Emmett's hand hard, and then wrapped her arms around his neck. Using him as leverage, she pulled herself up and kissed him roughly, taking his bottom lip between her teeth and biting. He retaliated, slipping one of her breasts out of her tank top and teasing her nipple with a light pinch before lowering his mouth to it and sucking hard. Rose one-upped him by grinding her hips against his rock-hard erection, feeling him grow impossibly harder as she pressed herself against him.

"Why the hell'd you wear these today?" His voice was heavy. He snaked a hand between them and rubbed the seam of her shorts, feeling her heat and imagining the slick folds they prevented him from reaching.

"Poor planning on my part," she confessed, lamenting her lack of forethought. "I do have an equally good idea, though." She pushed him back a little, tucked her breast back in, and gave him one last brief kiss on his swollen lips. Raking her hands down his chest, she lowered herself to her knees.

"Oh, fuck yes." Emmett grinned, bracing his hands on the wall behind her.

Rose chuckled. His pleasure was her pleasure, and she would do anything to see that smile on his face. Even give him head in the middle of the Memphis Zoo. Especially if it meant that.

She deftly opened his fly, then took a quick look around to ensure they were still alone. His throbbing length strained at the opening of his boxers, so she released it, nearly smacking herself in the process. Emmett stifled a laugh. She glared up at him, her tongue slipping over her lips as she moved closer to him, breathing lightly on his tip. Her tongue darted out and took a single swift lick of the tiny drop of fluid it found there. She smiled devilishly as he groaned in a combination of pleasure and painful anticipation. Slowly, she slid her lips around his shaft, encompassing him in the wet heat of her mouth. He grew impossibly harder with her movements, grunting and groaning as she swirled her tongue along his length without breaking suction. Her hand worked opposite her mouth, pumping to its own rhythm. Every few strokes, she let her teeth graze him, making him clench and gasp. Within minutes, he was panting and mumbling a string of words and curses that sounded something like, "Never fucking stop." She worked faster, going deeper until he hit the back of her throat. She hummed around him, knowing he was close, and went faster, rougher, her hand now working with her mouth and tongue in tandem. He let out a loud "Fuck!" and pulled his hips back so that he was almost out of her mouth as he came. She swallowed the salty-sweet liquid quickly. She was never one who minded swallowing, but it wasn't a taste she savored.

When she was done, she stood, her head popping up between his outstretched arms, and smoothed her clothes and hair back into place. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

"You are absolutely the most awesome chick who has ever walked the Earth." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She laughed.

"I'm glad you've come to realize that. Now we can move on."

The sound of a door swinging open made them both jump. They scrambled away from each other like two guilty teens caught on a basement couch. A family walked through the exhibit, the three children loud and oblivious to the couple tucked away in the corner. Their mother took note, though, and glared, hurrying the kids through the next door to the aviary. The father held the door, and once the rest of his family was through, he gave Emmett a thumbs up and an approving smirk before following. Emmett and Rose looked down.

His shorts were still hanging open.

On his way back to his car, James hesitated outside of room 212. All of the frustration and aggression he had just let out by destroying the room left him feeling hollowed out and lonely. He needed something, someone, to make him feel whole again. With the smooth, predatory way she had approached him earlier, he felt fairly confident that Jane could do that for him.

He knocked. The door opened almost instantly.

"I knew you'd be back." Jane's pale blue eyes stared up at him smugly. He put on his biggest game-winning smile and pushed past her into the room. She shut the door behind him, the metal lock sliding into place with an ominous click.

He stood motionless in the middle of the room, taking her in. A small thing, five foot three at the most, she wasn't the most intimidating in stature. She was well proportioned, not boyish but not voluptuous. Her white-blonde hair was tied up in a pony tail, but it was still long enough to reach the middle of her shoulders. James liked that; long hair gave him something to hold on to when he was in the mood to be rough.

When he met her eyes again, he saw that she had been appraising him as well. He felt self-conscious under her stare. That was something that rarely happened with him, and he wasn't fond of the sensation. She smirked, satisfied with what she saw, then sauntered over and sat delicately on the bed, patting the space next to her. He sat hard on the mattress, jostling her, hoping to get a good reaction. She swung herself around and climbed on top of him, straddling, but not sitting on, his lap. She dug her hands in his hair and yanked his head back. Her lips crashed into his, a clash of mouths, teeth, and tongues that caught James a bit off guard. He gripped her hips, digging his fingers in so hard he was sure he'd leave bruises. In one swift movement, he lifted her slight frame off of him and threw her on the mattress. She landed on her back, but in an instant was on her knees and tearing her shirt over her head. James smiled at her enthusiasm, stripping off his shirt as well. He launched himself at her, knocking her on her back again and landing between her legs.

Pinning her wrists on either side of her head, he began kissing and nipping down her neck. She gasped when he reached her breasts and bit her through the cup of her bra. She struggled against him, silently fighting him for control, as he pushed his hips forward, rubbing his pelvis against her. They found a rhythm quickly, grinding and writhing together over the covers.

Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer, he let go of her, rising up to his knees and unbuttoning his jeans. He tore her skirt and panties off together, tossing them to the side. Her hands were on him, yanking down the zipper to his pants and grabbing his throbbing cock. He pulled away from her and kicked off his pants, admiring her legs as he did so. In an instant she was on him, mouth and hands roaming his body, pulling and tugging and biting as she explored him. Unclasping her bra, he lowered his mouth to her breasts and took one of her tiny, pebbled nipples between his teeth. He bit down hard while swirling his tongue around the light pink skin, making her gasp and grind against him harder. They were a tangle of limbs and bodies on the bed, wrestling and rubbing, licking and sucking, until finally James grew tired of foreplay. Wordlessly, he stood and fished a condom from his pants. Jane snatched it from him and tore the foil package open, expertly sliding it on his length. He positioned himself over her and jerked her legs apart. He thrust into her roughly, pulling her hips towards him as he moved. He pumped in and out of her, only feeling the tight heat that surrounded him. She matched his movements, gaining leverage by hooking her ankles behind his back. He brought himself to the edge, then stopped to flip her over, wanting to delay his release as long as possible. She cursed at him but got on her hands and knees in the middle of the bed. He ran his hand along the curve of her ass and gave her a hard smack. She moaned with pleasure, pressing herself onto him, begging for more. He gave her another, harder strike and watched her milky white skin turn bright pink. She hissed a low yesss and James smiled. He wrapped his hand around her now-messy ponytail, pressed his cock to her entrance, and pulled back on her hair, brutally forcing himself inside. Once he grew accustomed to her heat again, he began slamming into her, losing himself in her slick folds.

Their breathing came out in curses and pants as they both built up to release. James put one hand on her back to steady himself as she clamped down around him. The sudden tightness caused him to lose control and he came deep inside her.

He pulled out quickly and left her lying face-down on the bed as he cleaned himself off in the bathroom. When he came out, she was sitting at the head of the bed, a half smile on her face.

"So, who's Rose?"

"Aw, look at the little baby one!" Rose pressed her forehead against the glass, smiling as Emmett wrapped his arms around her waist and tried to look around her.

"I don't see it, babe."

"It's right there," she said, pointing at the corner.

"I still don't- Oh!" He jumped back a little, wrinkling his nose. "What the hell? That thing's nasty!"

"It's adorable!"

"Rose, it's a fucking spider. There's nothing adorable about it." He shuddered as she continued to coo at the tarantulas. On one hand, it was cute and kind of sexy to see her get all maternal over something that made most women run away. On the other hand, it was a creepy, nasty spider with fangs and orange fur on its fat little body.

"Okay, you've talked to the little spider. Can we go now?" He tried not to sound impatient, but he really hated bugs, and being trapped in a room full of insects, spiders, snakes, and lizards wasn't all that fun for him.

"Fine, you big baby." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then let him lead her out of the herpetarium. "Where to now, Captain Sissypants?"

"We still need to see the bears. The sea lions are out there, too. Look, we can even take the train!" He gave her a pleading look that she couldn't resist, so they made their way to the platform and caught the next train.

The bench seats were wooden and uncomfortable, but Rose suddenly didn't notice when she snuggled up next to Emmett. He wrapped his arms around her, and together they watched as the train slowly chugged along its tracks past the various animals. Gorillas, elephants, rhinos and zebras, all wandered around their pens, oblivious to the onlookers. Children flocked around a carousel made up of fiberglass creatures of every kind. The train blew its whistle, and a few kids turned and waved. Rose smiled and waved back. She looked up to Emmett. Looking at the children, he smiled sadly and squeezed her tighter, not meeting her eyes. Rose furrowed her brow. As much fun as she was having, she was puzzled as to what was causing him this pain, and she wanted so badly to know. She was going to find a way to get him back to the hotel once they saw the bears, even though it meant missing the rest of the zoo.

They hopped off the train and followed the trail back to the black bears. Emmett explained the differences between black bears and grizzlies, where they lived, and what they ate; he was truly in his element. When he got excited seeing the polar bears swimming, Rose couldn't help laughing. He told her about their hollow fur, left-handedness, and layers of fat. She started to go into information overload and zone out. Too much of a good thing is still too much, after all. He saw that she was getting bored and took pity on her, moving on to the sea lions. He held his tongue on all the facts he knew, even though he could tell her the many differences between sea lions and seals and why people got the terms confused. The grizzly bear cubs were up and wrestling around. The couple stood, hand in hand, watching the balls of fluff roll and play while the mother bear sat in the grass, unamused by her children's actions.

Neither of them cared to see the wolves.

"They're just big, smelly dogs!" Rose declared.

The trail finally wrapped around back to the giraffes.

"Well, we're back to where we started. Do we bother going to the other side, or do we go back to the hotel and do other things?" Rose asked, winking when she said other. It got Emmett's attention and he was seriously weighing his options. On one hand, he wanted to see the rest of the zoo. On the other, he was being propositioned by an incredible blonde.

The decision was clear.

"Where'd we park?"

* * *

**Aw, snap! **

**Leave me a review with what you thought, please! Any guesses as to what James' next move is?**

**3**

**R  
**


	13. Quite Unexpected

**Sooooo... Yeah... It's been awhile. Apparently "summer" in Texas means that you can't go outside or do anything because you'll spontaneously burst into flames, so that leaves five kids pent up in the house for 104 days. Good times. My betas were endlessly patient with me and I would never be able to do this without them! Thank you so much ladies!**

* * *

"You have to stop, or we're going to end up naked in the elevator," Rose said breathlessly as she tried to escape Emmett's arms. He ignored her and kept her pinned against the mirrored wall so he could nibble his way down her neck to her shoulder. The stubble on his cheek brushed her skin roughly as he moved, and she wanted nothing more than to feel that stubble trail further south. As if he could read her mind, he worked his way down the front of her shirt.

She was thankful that they made it to their floor with all their clothes on. She dragged him out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, sprinting towards the room. Emmett intentionally dug in his heels, jerking her back to him, and without a word, swept her up to carry her the rest of the way. When they reached the door, he threw her over his shoulder so he could fish the key card out of his pocket. She snatched it from him, teasing him a little before slipping it in the slot. Emmett pushed open the door and set Rose down, letting her stumble in first giggling.

The thick smell of shampoo and body wash hung in the air and stung Rose's nostrils. She took a few steps into the dark room and tripped on something unseen, barely catching herself on the wall. Confusion set in. Frantically, she searched for a light switch.

"What the fucking hell?"

He took the words from her mouth. With her hand still on the wall for support, she surveyed the room: shredded clothes, Emmett's helmet shattered, even the bed was torn apart. Every piece of destruction felt like a physical violation, and by the time her eyes had completed a sweep of the mess, she collapsed, heaving and shaking. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry, throw up, or both. Emmett held her as she shook and told her that everything was going to be okay.

"How? How is it going to be o-fucking-kay, Emmett?" Rose snapped at him, pulling away so she could see his face.

"We'll figure this out. We'll tell the security folks here, and we'll call the local cops to get them involved too. They'll get this guy." He tried to hold her, but she was having none of it.

"Bullshit, Em! You don't believe that!" She stood, kicking a piece of backpack out of her way.

"Well, what the hell do you want to do about it?" He asked, completely exasperated.

She collapsed onto the bed. There was nothing else to do at that point but let the authorities handle it. Running hadn't worked. Reporting it hadn't worked either, but she sure as hell wouldn't be charged with the damages to the room, so something had to be done there. The mattress shifted a little next to her, and she felt the familiar tug of Emmett's arm pulling her close. She leaned into his shoulder with a resigned sigh.

"I'll make the call, but I don't have to like it."

"No one said you have to like it, babe. There's nothing to like about this, but we can't just walk away and pretend it didn't happen."

"Are you sure?"

"Damn sure."

"Okay. Let's do this."

They went into the hallway and found the courtesy phone by the elevator. Emmett sat in one of the chairs while Rose dialed the security number. She explained that someone had broken into the room, quite possibly the same person who had been following her from Chicago. The man assured her that he would be sending someone up immediately and he would take care of calling the police. She thanked him and sat down on Emmett's lap. It felt safest there, wrapped up in his arms, completely enveloped and guarded from anything or anyone that would hurt her. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she actually needed that. A tear slid down her cheek, the only outward sign that any of this was affecting her. She closed her eyes so she could shut out all visual distractions and just feel. The rise and fall of Emmett's chest with each breath he took was soothing, so much so that Rose felt herself drifting off despite the ball of anxiety nestled deep in her stomach.

A stranger's voice jolted her awake.

"Excuse me, but are you the Hales?" The large man they had seen earlier in the day talking to an unruly guest was standing over them. Rose jumped up. She knew she hadn't dozed off for long, but it was enough to hit her reset button and give her the strength to deal with the situation.

"Yes, we are. Er, I am. This is Emmett McCarty, my, um..." She trailed off, looking for the right word.

"I understand. I'm Felix, head of security here at the hotel. I'll be taking care of you until this incident is taken care of. Anything you need or want, please let me know, and I'll do everything in my power to get it for you. Will you please take me to your room?"

Rose nodded and led the way down the hall. When they got to the door, she pushed it open and let Felix step in alone. Emmett held her hand and gave it a little squeeze while they waited. She smiled weakly, her eyes not leaving the floor.

Felix came out of the room, calm and all business. She appreciated his matter-of-fact way of operating. He took down names and contact numbers for the police, went over a list of questions, and put them in an empty room across the hall. She had started off shaky, but by the time the police had arrived, Rose found herself strangely at ease. She supposed having the protection of the two biggest men she had ever seen could do that to a girl.

The police asked the exact same questions Felix did, but Rose found it much easier to answer them the second time. They wanted to know how she thought her case in Chicago was related, and the questioning would have been brutal if they'd been in fifteen minutes prior, before Felix's walk-through. It finally dawned on her that he'd prepped them for the interrogation. She glanced over at Felix to give him a half-smile. He winked at her from his post at the door. She felt a tight squeeze on her hand and realized that Emmett was giving her a dirty look.

"Really? You're jealous of a hotel security guard?" she whispered while the two officers questioned Felix.

"I see the way you look at him. I'm not blind," he teased. She snorted. While Felix was certainly a handsome man, there was only one man in the room who caught her eye, and Emmett knew it. He put his arms around her, and she fell easily into his chest. It was her plan to stay focused on the officers and the investigation and keep things serious, but with her favorite person in the world encouraging her to relax and let loose, she wasn't able to concentrate on any of it. The only thing that mattered to her at that moment was how Emmett's stubble kept catching tiny strands of her hair that he would brush away while stroking her cheek. She kissed him on the cheek, smiling a little when she realized he still smelled a tad like zoo.

Felix returned without the officers.

"Well, the good news is that the hotel will replace everything you lost. The bad news is that there's nothing you can really get out of there until it's been processed. I can go in and take what they'll let me if you'd like." He still looked irritated about something, and Rose had a feeling that he wasn't done giving them the full scoop.

"Is that it?"

"No. They also don't want you to leave town for a few days, just in case they think of anything else they need from you." He looked uncomfortable, as though it was his fault they were being inconvenienced.

"It's all right, Felix. I'm sure we can find things to do here. You have a lovely city." Rose smiled at him, letting him know they'd be fine. Emmett nudged her and gave her a dirty look, and she rolled her eyes in response. Felix just stared, perplexed, before snapping back into action.

"Right. Well, then. I'll see what I can grab from across the hall, then I'll escort you to a new room." He straightened his blazer and left them.

With a dramatic sigh, Rose threw herself back on the bed. She laced her fingers behind her head and stared up at the ceiling, letting her thoughts swirl. Emmett settled down next to her, rocking the mattress as he moved. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. The mattress rocked again. She took in a deep breath and refocused herself. It rocked again, harder. She tried to nudge him with her elbow but couldn't reach him without untangling herself. He moved the mattress again, so she opened her eyes to find that he was standing on the bed over her, his head inches from the ceiling.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, her tone somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Wanna pick up where we left off?" He grinned and began slowly taking off his shirt.

"Oh, you cannot possibly be serious. I'm nowhere near in the mood for that."

"Then let me get you in the mood." He started making bow-chicka-wow-wow noises to go along with his strip tease. She didn't know if she should laugh or knock him over, so she went with the more physical instinct. He landed on top of her, not a completely unwelcome outcome for Emmett. She gave a halfhearted attempt to squirm away from him, but quit with a huff when she couldn't get away. He kissed the tip of her nose, trying to illicit a better response, but she just turned her head. He gave up and got off her.

"What's wrong, Rose? This isn't you," he said, putting his shirt back on. Rose watched the fabric cover his beautiful chest, and she realized she'd been a fool for focusing on real life adult problems when she could be taking advantage of all that was Emmett.

"Gee, Emmett, I don't know. Maybe I'm a bit on edge because the same asshole who was stalking me in Chicago somehow found me in Memphis of all freaking places, destroyed my hotel room, and for all we know is waiting in the hall ready to kidnap me. Excuse me for being a bit of a killjoy." Her words had bite to them, but she didn't regret them.

"Hey, you said it, not me."

"Well, what would you have me do? Rip off my clothes and say 'Hell yeah, let's do this thing'? That's not going to happen, Em."

"Then tell me what's really bothering you. Because the only thing that's really changed between right now and three hours ago is the fact that we know the dude is here and not just in Chicago. He's always been in your mind. So what's there now that's bothering you?"

Before she could answer, a knock interrupted their conversation. Emmett checked the peephole before opening the door. Felix came in with one of Rose's bags and placed it on the bed next to her.

"I know it isn't everything, but it's all I could muscle out of them," he apologized. He turned to Emmett. "Nothing of yours was salvageable. Whoever did this really doesn't like you. The whole scene is quite disturbing."

"Yes, thank you, Felix, we were there. We don't need a replay," Emmett said witheringly.

"My apologies. We can go to your new room now if you'd like."

They nodded. Felix picked the bag up again and led them to the elevators. Rose thought she heard a door open behind her as they walked by, but when she turned around, there was no one there. She shook her head and kept walking. I seriously need to chill out. Jumping at every noise like this is some sort of horror movie... Get a grip, Rose.

Even though she mentally chastised herself, as the elevator doors closed, she could have sworn she saw an eerily familiar face peer out of one of the rooms. She shook it off. Now I'm seeing things. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

O0O0O0O

"What?" James stood at the foot of the bed, dumbfounded by her question. He couldn't remember saying anything during their romp, much less anything about his Rose

"Who's Rose? If you're going to call me another woman's name in bed, you can at least tell me who she is. Wife? Ex-wife? Girlfriend?" She stared at him, her pale eyes piercing through him. He had never been a self-conscious man, but he suddenly felt very exposed. He quickly assessed the situation. Playing it off wasn't an option; he knew he looked like a deer in headlights. There was something slightly sinister about Jane, a little bit of evil brewing just below her cool, apathetic facade. She could be an asset to him. He decided to feel her out. After sliding on his boxers, he joined her on the bed.

"She's a long distance friend," he said slowly. "I'm here to surprise her, in a manner of speaking."

"Ah. Does she know she's a friend?" She was catching on, but he couldn't tell if she was weirded out yet.

"I think she's starting to catch on now."

"That's a little twisted. I like it. Where is she now?"

"She's here at the hotel. Wait, you like it?" He was incredulous. What kind of girl would be okay with this? What the hell had he gotten himself into?

His thoughts were interrupted by noise in the hallway. They looked at each other questioningly before going to the door together to take a peek. Jane, still naked, chose to stay behind him as he cracked open the door. He slammed the door shut as fast as he opened it.

"What? What's going on out there?"

"It's the cops," he said, visibly shaken. "They're here already. I thought I'd have time. More time than this. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

"What exactly did you do? You didn't kill anyone, did you?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"No. Not yet. Soon though, I swear to God, soon. I just shook him up a little this time. Next time, he'll get more."

"You know, you look really hot when you get a homicidal glint in your eye." Her stare once again made him a little uncomfortable. This chick was psychotic, absolutely bat shit crazy, but she was just what he needed.

"Get dressed."

O0O0O0O

Felix gave Rose a list of phone numbers when they got to the room. His personal cell was at the top of the list, and they were to call if anything changed or looked suspicious. He made one last check of the hallway then left them to decompress.

Emmett plopped into the overstuffed armchair near the sliding door leading out to the balcony. The curtains were closed, blocking the view to the outside world. He hated the cave-like feel of the dimly-lit room, but he was too tired to reach over and do anything about it. Rose was lying on her stomach in the middle of the bed with her chin in her hands. She was lost in thought, and Emmett couldn't stop staring at her. Wisps of hair had come loose from her pony tail, framing her face, and the lamp on the bedside table put off a light that made her face glow. Even here, frazzled and nearly at her breaking point, she was absolutely stunning. He let his eyes fall to her cleavage and felt an uncomfortable tightening in his shorts. Sighing, he looked away. Being turned down once in a day was enough. He still wasn't sure why she had been so pissy with him in the first place. It wasn't like he was the one who did all this to them. He was just trying to make her feel better in the same ways she liked before. She was the one with the problem. He let out a huff, louder than he intended.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, still staring off but not as disconnected as Emmett originally thought.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know," he replied sullenly.

"That's kind of a chick answer," she said, smiling.

"Whatever. I'm going to take a shower." He stood and stretched, then quickly walked to the bathroom. The door slammed behind him. It was unintentional but fitting for his mood.

"Well, fuck you too!" Rose shouted from her place on the bed. Something that sounded like a shoe hit the door.

Regretting the door slam, but not enough to go out and apologize, he started the shower and stripped out of his clothes. By the time he was done, the mirror had already begun to fog, so he turned the temperature down and got in. As soon as the water hit him, he started to relax. He rested his forehead on the tile under the shower head and let the water run down his back, washing away the dirt, grime, and tension that had built up over the past eight hours. This entire situation was getting out of hand, and he felt powerless to stop it. Nothing made him angrier than feeling helpless, especially when it came to protecting a loved one. He had already been through that once, and he supposed that he would have to tell Rose about that eventually. Eventually. Not today.

The shower curtain moved, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Rose peeked her head around and looked up at him. Wordlessly, he pulled her into the shower, and they stood under the water, both just needing to be held by the other.

When the feeling passed and fatigue took over, they washed each other chastely. Emmett shut off the water and wrapped Rose in one of the fluffy robes that was hanging on the back of the door. He put on the other robe, then led the way back to the bed. The shoe Rose had thrown was still in the walkway, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw it. He never knew a flip-flop could make that much noise when thrown at a door; his girl really had an arm!

He turned down the sheets, and they climbed in to bed together. They met in the middle of the bed in an instant, his arms wrapped around her, her head on his chest, and their legs intertwined. No words had been spoken, no apologies given, but they didn't need to. They knew.

* * *

**It's a little short, but it needed to end there. Fourteen is going to be very heavy, so stay tuned and brace yourselves! Thanks for reading! **

**3**

**R**


	14. Men

**It's been...a long ass time. I apologize. It would take me a lifetime to explain how hard the past few months have been on me. But we're here now, and that's what matters :D**

**It's a pretty solid chapter, but it gets rough at the end. Tighten up those big girl panties and ride it through! I promise it will be worth it!**

* * *

A familiar tone brought Rose out of her sleep. She couldn't place it at first; it was muffled and seemed distant in her sleep induced haze. Without opening her eyes, she threw an arm toward the bed-side table trying to get it to stop. When that didn't work, she sat up, still bleary, and tried to locate the source of the sound she now knew to be her ringtone. A pile of clothes sat on the floor and she saw her phone lying face down in it. Just as she grabbed it, it stopped ringing.

_Every time! _

She nestled back under the covers and checked the missed call. The area code was familiar, but the number wasn't. While she waited for the person to leave a message, she watched Emmett sleep. Sweaty curls had matted around his temples, his brow was furrowed, his body was completely tense. This was not the relaxed sleep he had the night before. Rose felt guilty that she was the one to cause him all this grief. Had she not come into his life, he wouldn't be going through all this pain and worry now.

Her phone dinged, telling her she had a voicemail. The sound made Emmett jump in his sleep, and Rose laughed a little. Although quiet, the sound was enough to wake the fitfully sleeping man up. He opened his eyes, surprised to see her.

"Oh my God. You're actually here," he said, half teasing. He yawned and stretched, wrapping his arms around her.

"Of course I am. Where else would I be?"

"I don't know. New Orleans. Orlando. Dallas. Las Vegas. The moon. I don't know all your hobbies," he teased.

"Really? You think I'd go to _Dallas? _Fort Worth, maybe, but Dallas? Puh-_lease._" They laughed.

She did understand the root of his incredulity. Her track record wasn't that great. Still, he should know better. He meant everything to her. She just didn't know how to show him. A blow-job at the zoo just didn't seem like enough. She had to figure out how to make him feel as special as he made her feel, without sex being involved. Relationships based purely on physical love never last. Rose had been in enough to know. She had mistaken lust for love and had it bite her in the ass. She wanted to prove to Emmett that this was real on her end; he had already done it for her. You don't leave your job for days to follow a woman on the run to a different state to profess your _lust_ to her. It doesn't happen. That's how she knew. Everything since then has been gravy.

"So who's the call from?" Emmett's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"I have no idea. They left a message though."

"Check it. Maybe it's your brother from a new phone or something."

"Maybe." Rose hit the voicemail. Her chest tightened as she waited, her stomach balled into an icy pit of lead. She knew that this wasn't just Jasper calling from a new phone.

At first she heard nothing, just a little feedback from the phone itself. Then a man's voice came on, one she didn't recognize but shook her to her core just the same.

"Rose, my beautiful, lovely Rose. You've broken my heart, Rose. You've betrayed me. It's okay though. We'll be together in the end. I'll see you soo-" The stalker's eerie threat was cut short by a voice in the background. He hung up, and the message ended.

Rose slowly sat up in the bed, as if somehow changing her physical position could give her more clarity on the situation. She put the phone on the bed next to Emmett. He picked it up and listened while she ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. When Emmett was done, he dropped the phone in his lap and took a deep breath.

"Now what?" He asked, letting out his breath slowly, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. He knew what _he _wanted to do. _He_ wanted to tear through the hotel, room by room, until he found out who the bastard was that was following them. If he was even here. That's where his plan fell apart, and that's why he let Rose do the thinking.

"Fuck if I know at this point. Should we give Felix a call? Tell the police? Our third option is getting the hell out of Dodge, and our fourth is staying until it's sorted out. Up to you really, because at this point I'm ready to burn the hotel down and run."

"Is that option three? Or do I have to pay extra for the arson?"

"I'm so not in the mood, Em. We have to either stay and tell someone _now_, or leave _now_." Rose hoped he could make a big decision like this because she wasn't strong enough right then. She wanted to crawl into his arms and never come out. Not until it was safe anyway.

"Then let's go. We'll give Felix a call, let him know what's up as long as he doesn't go to the cops, and then we'll leave. Anywhere you want to go that _isn't _on that computer already."

"Wait, why not? I have the whole trip planned out on here!" She was nothing if not organized, and she sure as hell wasn't going to lose that one part of herself without a good damned reason.

"He was in your apartment. He found you here. The only way that could have happened was if he was either really diligent at keeping a tail on you, or he was on your computer in your apartment. No guy's that good at following a girl around. We have to pee eventually."

Emmett made great points. She tried to think as little as possible about all of her things being violated, so she never thought about that pervert touching her computer.

"Where should we go then?"

"New Orleans was next on your list, so definitely not there. I was thinking, maybe, well," he said awkwardly, dancing around a clearly uncomfortable subject he was about to bring up.

"_Where_, Emmett?" Now she was curious and impatient. "Just say it, it can't possibly be that bad!"

"I was thinking maybe we could see Edward and Bella. We're going to be out of town for a long time anyway, you were already thinking about going out there, I haven't seen Edward in a long time," he trailed off, waiting for an objection, an outrageous display of hatred, any terrible reaction. Instead, Rosalie just sat and thought about it for a moment.

"I think it's a good idea. If this guy's a stalker worth his salt, he'll know that I absolutely hate both of them. He won't see this coming. Good call, babe."

O0O0O0O

James finished his work on the motorcycle. He was glad Emmett had to park so far from the entrance of the hotel. He was able to work quickly and without the added worry that the asshole Felix would find him.

After carefully checking for people who might see him, he gathered up his tools and jogged to Jane's waiting car. She greeted him with a smile. He couldn't help but smile back as he tossed the tool kit on the back seat. As odd as she was, as cold and harsh as her features were, there was still something he found incredibly appealing about her. Something inviting him in, telling him to come hither and take a bite while no one's looking. If he wasn't so desperate, _determined_, not desperate, to get his Rose, he would probably put Jane in his sights.

"Everything taken care of?" Jane asked.

"Yeah. It's done. I've never screwed with a bike before, but it can't be that different than a car. A line here, a bolt there, it's all good."

"You've done this to a car before?" Jane seemed taken aback. "Who was the guy?"

"Actually," James said, smiling, "it was Rose."

O0O0O0O

Everything was packed. After a silent standoff, Felix "won" the honor of carrying Rose's bags down to the elevator then out to the car. Rose promised Emmett that he could carry Mommy's purse next time, earning a glare from him. Luckily Felix was out of earshot or he would have laughed.

She joked to get her mind off the seriousness of the situation. She was not exactly thrilled about leaving the hotel under the circumstances, and she was certainly not looking forward to seeing her brother and new sister-in-law. On the other hand, maybe it would be a good opportunity to have Emmett bring up all the shit he's been hiding. If he didn't bring it up soon, she would have Alice find it. Alice could dig up dirt on _anyone. _

_Oh shit. Alice!_

"Em, as soon as we get on the road, I have to call Alice!"

"Okay. I don't know why that's going to be a problem. You'll be driving your car, I'll be on the bike."

"Whoa, are you seriously going to drive that thing all the way across the country?"

"Um, I was thinking about it, but judging on your response...no?"

"I just don't know why you'd do that. That's stupid."

"Okay then. What am I supposed to do with it though?"

"We can put it in a special storage garage in the back of the hotel. Just leave me the keys and I'll move it later," Felix said. "It's no problem. You can call and have it shipped to Chicago later or come back and pick it up later. We do it for guests occasionally. It typically costs a significant amount of money, but yours is a special case, so we'll waive the fee."

"Money's no object here, Felix," Emmett said. "Just let me know and I'll pay it."

"Well, that's nice, but I'd rather not leave the paperwork for someone here to mistakenly give to the wrong person. While we hire great people here, not everyone is MENSA-material, if you catch my drift."

They all laughed. Felix put the bags down in the lobby, took Rose's keys, and went out to get her car. Rose took the opportunity to throw herself into Emmett's arms. He was still wearing yesterday's clothes, and even though he had taken a shower, he smelled a little zoo-y. They would have to go shopping for him. The hotel hadn't had time to replace anything; it had been less than 24 hours since the attack. Still, it was better for them to leave now than risk another shake down just for new clothes. Still, the smell was enjoyable. He started rubbing her back exactly where she needed it right then. His hands were so big, it wasn't like he could miss anyway. She stood there and let herself enjoy the moment like she hadn't done in so long.

A honk let them know that Felix had pulled the car up. Emmett snatched the bag before Rose could get it herself, but even more importantly before _Felix_ could come get it. She rolled her eyes. _Men! _

As she walked out the doors, she looked back over the lobby. She knew it was paranoia, but it seemed like that pale blonde woman was following her. Crazy though. The hotel wasn't that big, and the only places to hang out during the day are the lobby and the pool. She was well dressed, so obviously she wasn't going to be at the pool. Still, little things like that were burying themselves into her subconscious and eating away at her.

Felix held the passenger side door for her, but she stopped short.

"Whoa, I'm driving. This is my car. But thank you for your display of chauvinism, Felix," Rose said curtly. Felix's eyes opened wide. He put both hands up and back away from the car. To see such a large man be frightened by a woman of Rose's size and stature was truly a sight to behold, and one that made Emmett shake with silent laughter. She turned and glared at him. He very suddenly found it un-funny and decided to put the bag in the car before she put him in the trunk.

"So sorry, Miss Hale. Can we do anything else for you today?"

"Not that I can think of." Rose sighed. "You'll keep us updated on what's going on here right?"

"Of course. If I catch wind of anything, even if it's something they aren't going to tell you, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Felix. You've been incredible through this whole thing." She reached up and gave him a light hug. He stiffened with her touch, and made awkward eye contact with Emmett. It was over quickly and Felix regained his composure.

"Can't thank you enough, man," Emmett said, extending his hand. When Felix shook it, a brief, but painful "Who Can Squeeze Harder?" battle ensued. Ten seconds of near bone-crushing grip was enough to let them know they were evenly matched. Once their testosterone fueled grudge match was over, Emmett slid a tip into Felix's pocket. Despite his irrational jealousy, he was able to recognize that the man had done his best to protect them, and acted quickly and in their best interests.

Rose and Emmett finally got into the car, in their Rose-assigned seats. They waved to Felix, and drove off into the mid-morning sun.

O0O0O0O0O

"Where are they going? Where are they _going_? _God dammit where are they going_!"

James was fuming. Jane was of no help after all. Useless. Fucking useless, just like the rest of them. But she knew too much, and if he said he was going to leave her, she'd probably run. _Fuck!_ He didn't know what he was going to do with her, but he sure as hell wasn't going to drag around some piece of shit broad who couldn't pull her weight. _She had one job, one damn job to do!_ Now she had the balls enough to sit there, cowering in a corner while he paced the hotel room._ Oh how far the mighty have fallen._

He decided she needed to be taught a lesson. He didn't care how much time it took to teach her either.

"Come here, Jane," he said coolly. He sat on the bed, knees spread, and waited for her to obey. She stayed put, terrified to move. Apparently his screaming tirade tipped her off that something really, truly is wrong with this man, and he's playing for keeps.

"Jane, sweetie, come here. I'm not going to hurt you," he said, sweetly. "I'm not mad anymore. I just had to get that out of my system. I promise." James held out his hand and waited for her to come over and take it.

Cautiously, Jane got to her feet. She straightened her clothes and slowly shuffled towards him. She gave him her hand and winced when he took it. He laughed a little and put her hand on his cheek. He took her other hand and placed it on his other cheek, then draw her in close so his chin was resting at her navel. Looking up at her, he smiled. Still unsure of his plans, she smiled back meekly.

Without warning, he grabbed the backs of her legs, lifted her up, and slammed her on the bed, effectively knocking the wind out of her. With his head and upper body still pinning her torso down, he made quick work of her pants. She started fighting back, not because she figured out what he was going to do, but because she realized how much it was going to hurt. He finally wrestled her pants and panties off her, but she started bucking and kicking.

"Keep fighting. That's what makes it better, baby." He grabbed her wrists and flipped her over in one quick move.

"You are fucking disgusting!"

He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked back. She screamed as she felt chunks come out.

"Keep running your mouth and we'll find out what I can fit in there." He pushed her face back into the mattress and unzipped his jeans. His cock burst free and he set himself in place behind Jane's raised, unprepped ass. He took one finger and dipped it inside her pussy. She wasn't nearly as wet as he thought she'd be, but he was satisfied.

He rubbed the juice he collected across the tip of his cock, which made him grow even harder. He put one arm around her waist for balance, placed himself at her back entrance, and pushed through without warning. As he entered, he buried her face into the bed to muffle her screams. He slammed in and out of her like a jackhammer, not giving her the chance to recover. And then the best thing happened...

O0O0O0O0O

And scream she did. Once the initial shock wore off, she screamed and shook and tried to buck him off, but he was a pro. So she just gave up. Instead of fighting him, she took the punishment. She took it, because what she had been doing up to that point was betraying all women, everywhere. She was aiding a rapist, and that's the lowest form of woman there is.

But then the worst part happened. Her body began to betray her. While she was locked away in her private hell, her body was doing what bodies do. Responding to all the stimulation, her body was actually starting to orgasm. She tried to stop it, tried to remind it of what was _actually_ happening, but it just...happened.

As she reached her peak, James hit his as well. She could feel him release inside of her, his filthy seed in probably the most fitting place for it. If it wasn't still so incredibly painful, she would've laughed.

He was still bent over her, inside of her, touching her. She wanted to bathe in bleach to get the filth off and out of her, but she dared not move. He finally decided to sit up, and he pulled out quickly, which was not only painful but it made a sound that Jane never wanted to hear again. He went straight for the bathroom, leaving her to just lay face down on the bed until he got out.

In that miserable moment, she made one decision: He will _never _get that girl.

* * *

***cringe* Leave me love?**

**Next chapter will have a few chunks of some Em back story ;) **

**3**

**R**


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